Subjunctive Conjugations - Vocabulary Flashcards

What is the Subjunctive?

• The transcript introduces the topic: Las conjugaciones del subjuntivo (Spanish 3, Lección 1).
• Key idea: The subjunctive mood expresses attitude toward events and actions that are uncertain, hypothetical, or viewed as non-real by the speaker.
• In contrast, the indicative mood is used for facts, real actions, or definite states.
• Practical takeaway: Use indicative for statements of fact; use subjunctive after expressions of desire, emotion, doubt, necessity, urgency, and after certain impersonal phrases.
• The presented examples all show impersonal expressions or requests that trigger the subjunctive:
  • Es mejor que reciclemos las latas y los envases. (It’s better that we recycle the cans and containers.)
  • Es importante que los estudiantes no contaminen el agua. (It’s important that the students do not pollute the water.)
  • Es urgente que cuides las plantas y el agua. (It’s urgent that you take care of the plants and water.)
  • Es necesario que escribamos cartas al Presidente. (It’s necessary that we write letters to the President.)
  • Es malo que tengamos tanta basura. (It’s bad that we have so much trash.)
• Classroom activity (Page 8): A analizar! Analyze what is happening with the second verb in each sentence and why it is in subjunctive.

How to Form the Present Subjunctive

• Core idea: The present subjunctive is formed similarly to the negative tú command forms.
• Steps (as presented):
  1. Go to the yo form of the present indicative.
  2. Drop the -o ending.
  3. Add the opposite endings for -AR and -ER/-IR verbs.
• Opposite endings (the “opposite” of the present indicative):
  • For -AR verbs: the endings are -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.
  • For -ER/-IR verbs: the endings are -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
• Example (from the slides):
  • hablar → hablo → habl- → hable, hablemos, hables, habléis, hable, hablen
  • comer → como → com- → coma, comamos, comas, comáis, coma, coman
  • escribir → escribo → escrib- → escriba, escribamos, escribas, escribáis, escriba, escriban

Endings for the Present Subjunctive (Summary)

• -AR endings in the present subjunctive:
  \text{-AR endings: } -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en
• -ER/-IR endings in the present subjunctive:
  \text{-ER/-IR endings: } -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an
• Note: These endings are attached to the present subjunctive stem of the verb (see irregulars and stem changes below).

Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive (General Pattern)

• Some verbs have irregular yo forms in the present indicative, and these irregularities carry through all present subjunctive forms by replacing the yo-stem appropriately (e.g., -go → -g-, -zco → -zca, etc.).
• Core list of irregulars shown in the slides:
  • Dar: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den
  • Ir: vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan
  • Ser: sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean
  • Haber: haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan
  • Estar: esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén
  • Saber: sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan
• Note: These are the standard irregulars you must memorize for present subjunctive.

Verbs with Stem Changes in the Present Subjunctive

• Stem-changing (boot) verbs behave similarly to present indicative, with an important note for -ir verbs in the nosotros/vosotros forms:
  • -ar and -er stem-changing verbs maintain their stem changes in the subjunctive as in the present indicative.
  • -ir stem-changing verbs also keep the stem changes in the subjunctive, but with an extra change in the nosotros and vosotros forms (e.g., dormir, pedir).
• Examples:
  • pensar → piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen
  • volver → vuelva, volvamos, vuelvas, volváis, vuelva, vuelvan
  • dormir → duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerma, duerman
  • pedir → pida, pidamos, pidáis, pida, pidan
• Important note: -ir stem-changers have the same stem changes in the subjunctive as in the present indicative, but the nosotros/vosotros forms also undergo the stem change (e.g., dorm- → durm- in duerma, durmamos, durmáis).

Spelling-Changers and Stem-Changers (Present Subjunctive)

• Spelling changes to preserve pronunciation for -car, -gar, -zar verbs in all present subjunctive forms:
  • sacar → saque, saques, saque, saquemos, saquéis, saquen
  • pensar (example of stem change as noted above, also shows spelling changes when needed)
  • almorzar → almuerce, almuerces, almuerce, almorcemos, almor‑céis, almuercen
• Note: The -car, -gar, and -zar changes apply in all forms of the present subjunctive to preserve the original sounds.

More Stem-Changers: Additional -ar, -er, and -ir Examples

• Pensar and volver were shown as key -ar/-er stem changers in the subjunctive:
  • pensar → piense, pensemos, pienses, piense, piensen
  • volver → vuelva, volvamos, vuelvas, volváis, vuelva, vuelvan
• -ir verbs with stem changes (e.g., dormir and pedir) follow the same stem patterns as in present indicative, with the added caveat that the nosotros/vosotros forms also change:
  • dormir → duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerma, duerman
  • pedir → pida, pidamos, pidáis, pida, pidan

Present Subjunctive: A Quick Reference Table (Selected Verbs)

• The slides show a concise table aligning infinitive, present indicative stem, and the present subjunctive form:
  • conducir → conduzco → conduzc- → conduzca
  • conocer → conozco → conozc- → conozca
  • decir → digo → dig- → diga
  • hacer → hago → hag- → haga
  • ofrecer → ofrezco → ofrezc- → ofrezca
  • oír → oigo → oig- → oiga
  • parecer → parezco → parezc- → parezca
  • poner → pongo → pong- → ponga
  • tener → tengo → teng- → tenga
  • traducir → traduzco → traduzc- → traduzca
  • traer → traigo → traig- → traiga
  • venir → vengo → veng- → venga
  • ver → veo → ve- → vea

Practical Practice and Exercises (From the Transcript)

Inténtalo: Conjugate these verbs in the present subjunctive

• estu dies, aprendas, asistas, encuentra, pueda, tenga, hagamos, pidamos, durmamos, alquile, beba, viva
• Note: The exercise provides a mix of forms to practice the subjunctive across different verbs and subjects.

Práctica: In your calendar scenario

• Prompt: Una clase inolvidable: ¿Tuviste alguna vez una instructora de ejercicios que siempre estaba de mal humor? Completa la descripción con el subjuntivo.
• Sentences to fill (answers shown in the transcript):
  1. La clase comience a tiempo y los estudiantes corran durante diez minutos antes de comenzar la sesión.
  2. Ella no permite que ellos hablen durante la clase.
  3. A ella no le gusta que los chicos hagan ruido durante la clase.
  4. Es importante que nosotros tomemos la clase todos los días, ¡incluyendo el fin de semana!
• The provided key for the blanks is: comience, corran, hablen, hagan, tomemos.

Connections to Foundational Principles

• This unit builds on the present indicative conjugation patterns learned earlier but shifts to mood-based usage (indicative vs subjunctive).
• It reinforces how impersonal expressions (Es…), verbs of influence, and emotion trigger the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
• It highlights the interaction between spelling, phonology, and morphology in Spanish verb conjugation (car/gar/zar spellings, stem changes, irregular stems).

Practical and Philosophical Implications

• Subjunctive communicates nuance: uncertainty, possibility, or subjectivity, which is central to advanced communication and discourse analysis in Spanish.
• Mastery of mood selection improves clarity in expressing opinions, advice, preferences, and hypothetical scenarios.
• The exercise-based approach mirrors real-world language use where speakers choose mood based on speaker attitude and perceived reality.

Quick Reference Summary

• When to use subjunctive: after certain impersonal expressions, verbs of emotion/desire/necessity, influence, doubt, or hypothetical situations.
• How to form: go to the yo form, drop -o, add opposite endings (-AR: -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-en; -ER/-IR: -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-an).
• Irregulars: memorize key irregular stems (Dar, Ir, Ser, Haber, Estar, Saber) as shown; many verbs have stem changes that carry into the subjunctive in all forms.
• Spelling changes: maintain sounds with -car, -gar, -zar changes across all forms.
• Practice: use varied verbs and subjects to internalize the endings and irregular patterns.