Lección 16: The Past Subjunctive

The Past Subjunctive (El Pretérito Imperfecto de Subjuntivo)

The past subjunctive, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb mood used in multiple-clause sentences to express will, influence, emotion, commands, indefiniteness, and non-existence. While it serves the same contextual purposes as the present subjunctive, it generally describes actions, events, or conditions that have already occurred. In these sentences, the verb in the main clause is typically in the preterite or the imperfect tense.

Formation of the Past Subjunctive

The past subjunctive is formed using a specific three-step process for all verbs, including regular, irregular, and stem-changing verbs. The endings are identical for all verb types ($-ar$, $-er$, and $-ir$).

1. Start with the Preterite: Identify the third-person plural (Uds./ellos/ellas) form of the preterite.

2. Establish the Stem: Drop the $-ron$ ending from the preterite form.

3. Add Endings: Attach the past subjunctive endings to the remaining stem.

Past Subjunctive Endings

Key Orthographic Requirement: The nosotros/as form always requires a written accent on the vowel immediately preceding the ending (e.g., estudiáramos, aprendiéramos, recibiéramos).

Conjugation Patterns for Regular Verbs

The following table demonstrates the application of the past subjunctive endings to regular $-ar$, $-er$, and $-ir$ verbs.

Verbs with Irregular Preterite Stems

For any verb with an irregular preterite, the past subjunctive endings must be added to the irregular third-person plural preterite stem.

Stem-Changing and Spelling-Change Verbs

Verbs ending in $-ir$ that undergo stem changes in the preterite, as well as verbs with spelling changes, maintain those changes in the past subjunctive.

Practical Usage and Examples

Expressing Past Hopes, Requests, and Emotions

The past subjunctive is frequently used to describe a want, request, or emotion that existed in the past concerning another person's actions.

• Example 1: "Aquí está mi curriculum y me pidieron que trajera mi portafolio con mis trabajos de fotografía…"

• Example 2: "Desde niña me interesé por la fotografía, aunque mis padres querían que estudiara una carrera científica."

• Example 3: "Me pidieron que no llegara tarde." (They asked me not to arrive late.)

• Example 4: "Ellos querían que yo les escribiera." (They wanted me to write to them.)

Polite Requests with Quisiera

The past subjunctive form of the verb querer, specifically "quisiera," is frequently used in Spanish to make polite requests or express desires in a softened manner.

• Usage: "Quisiera hablar con Marco." (I would like to speak to Marco.)

• Usage: "¿Quisiera usted algo más?" (Would you like anything else?)