Imperfect Subjunctive from the Preterite
Practice building the -ra and -se imperfect subjunctive forms from third-person plural preterite stems.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is the three-step recipe for the imperfect subjunctive?
Take the ellos preterite (e.g. tuvieron), drop the final -ron (tuvie-), and add the -ra or -se endings.
How many irregular verbs exist in the imperfect subjunctive?
Zero — every verb, including ser, ir, and haber, is built regularly from the third-person plural preterite.
Difference between the -ra and -se sets?
They mean exactly the same thing; -ra dominates in Latin America and in speech, -se is common in Spain and formal/literary writing.
What spelling detail does the nosotros form always require?
A written accent on the vowel before the ending: habláramos, comiéramos, tuviéramos, fuéramos, dijésemos.
Which two imperfect subjunctive forms are identical?
yo and él/ella/Ud. (hablara / hablara) — context or a pronoun disambiguates.
Imperfect subjunctive of ir and ser (yo form)?
fuera (fueron → fue- → fuera, fueras, fuera, fuéramos, fuerais, fueran) — the same for both verbs.
What happens with j-stem verbs like decir, traer, conducir?
They drop the i of the ending: dijera, trajera, condujera — never dijiera.
Do -ir stem changes and y-spellings carry over?
Yes: durmiera, pidiera, sintiera, muriera; leyera, oyera, cayera, construyera.
What is the sequence-of-tenses rule of thumb?
A past-tense or conditional main verb pulls the subordinate verb into the imperfect subjunctive: Quería que vinieras.
Two special uses of the imperfect subjunctive?
Contrary-to-fact si clauses (Si tuviera dinero, viajaría) and polite softening (Quisiera hablar con el gerente).
