Imperfect Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Every subjunctive trigger you've learned so far also has a past-tense version — the imperfect subjunctive is what you reach for when the wish, doubt, or emotion itself was in the past.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Built from the preterite 'ellos' form, not the infinitive
hablaron → hablara/hablase; comieron → comiera/comiese — drop -ron, add the imperfect subjunctive endings
no equivalent — English's past subjunctive barely survives outside 'if I were you'
Unusually, the imperfect subjunctive is built from the irregular preterite 'they' form rather than the infinitive — which means any irregularity you memorized in the preterite (tuvieron → tuviera, fueron → fuera) carries over automatically. There are two equally correct ending sets, -ra and -se, though -ra is far more common in everyday speech.
Same triggers as the present subjunctive, just shifted into the past
quería que vinieras (I wanted you to come) — the same querer que trigger, now in the imperfect
I wanted you to come — the plain past-tense verb, no special marking
Every trigger you already know — wishes, doubts, emotions, impersonal expressions — still applies exactly the same way; the only change is that the main verb is now in a past tense (imperfect, preterite, or conditional), which pulls the subordinate verb into the imperfect subjunctive to match. If you've internalized the present subjunctive triggers, this lesson is really just a tense shift on top of rules you already know.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- that I/he/she spoke
- English
- that I/he/she ate
- English
- that I/he/she had
- English
- that I/he/she went/were
- English
- I wanted you to come
- English
- I doubted it was true
- English
- I hoped you would arrive
- English
- I was glad you came
- English
- it was important that you arrive
- English
- as if