CEFR B1
What you will learn
- Build all six persons of both imperfect-subjunctive series from the preterite ellos form.
- Use the imperfect subjunctive after a past wish, request, evaluation or non-specific antecedent.
- Distinguish unreal present or future conditions from unreal past conditions with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Before you start
- Have studied “The present subjunctive: build the form before choosing the mood”.
- Have studied “The preterite: place a finished event on the timeline”.
The idea
The imperfect subjunctive can be selected by a past main verb, but it can also create distance from reality in a present or future hypothetical frame. In “Quería que vinieras”, it follows a past wish; in “Si vinieras mañana, hablaríamos”, the arrival is future and hypothetical. Do not call every imperfect-subjunctive event past. First identify the clause relationship; then identify the time reference supplied by the context.
Start from the third-person plural preterite, remove -ron and attach either the -ra series or the -se series. The method preserves irregular preterite bases, and the nosotros forms require a written accent before -ramos or -semos.
A past wish can select the imperfect subjunctive, while a si-clause can use the same form to mark an unreal present or future condition. For an unreal event already anterior to a past reference, use hubiera or hubiese plus the participle.
Complete -ra series
| person | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablara | comiera | viviera |
| tú | hablaras | comieras | vivieras |
| él / ella / usted | hablara | comiera | viviera |
| nosotros / nosotras | habláramos | comiéramos | viviéramos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablarais | comierais | vivierais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablaran | comieran | vivieran |
Complete -se series
| person | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablase | comiese | viviese |
| tú | hablases | comieses | vivieses |
| él / ella / usted | hablase | comiese | viviese |
| nosotros / nosotras | hablásemos | comiésemos | viviésemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablaseis | comieseis | vivieseis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablasen | comiesen | viviesen |
Frequent irregular bases still come from the preterite
| preterite ellos | base | -ra sample | -se sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| fueron | fue- | fuéramos | fuésemos |
| estuvieron | estuvie- | estuvieran | estuviesen |
| hicieron | hicie- | hicieras | hicieses |
| dijeron | dije- | dijerais | dijeseis |
| pudieron | pudie- | pudiera | pudiese |
| pusieron | pusie- | pusiéramos | pusiésemos |
Complete pluperfect subjunctive
| person | -ra auxiliary | -se auxiliary | model with salir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera | hubiese | hubiera / hubiese salido |
| tú | hubieras | hubieses | hubieras / hubieses salido |
| él / ella / usted | hubiera | hubiese | hubiera / hubiese salido |
| nosotros / nosotras | hubiéramos | hubiésemos | hubiéramos / hubiésemos salido |
| vosotros / vosotras | hubierais | hubieseis | hubierais / hubieseis salido |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hubieran | hubiesen | hubieran / hubiesen salido |
How it sounds
- Esperaban que llegásemos antes.
- Si pudiera elegir, cambiaría la fecha.
- Ojalá hubierais visto el aviso.
Check objective 1Another case
Build the nosotros -ra form of disponer from the preterite ellos form dispusieron.
Build the vosotros -se form of tener from the preterite ellos form tuvieron.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: dispusiéramos — Remove -ron from dispusieron and add -ramos, with the required accent: dispusiéramos.
Remove -ron from dispusieron and add -ramos, with the required accent: dispusiéramos.
Answer: tuvieseis — Remove -ron from tuvieron and add -seis to form tuvieseis.
Remove -ron from tuvieron and add -seis to form tuvieseis.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “colocarías” for this case: “Use exactly three posters. La coordinadora pidió que vosotros colocarías los tres carteles en el expositor. (colocar)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “colocárais” for this case: “Use exactly three posters. La coordinadora pidió que vosotros colocárais los tres carteles en el expositor. (colocar)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: colocarais — Pidió sets a past request frame. Colocaron minus -ron gives coloca-, and vosotros in the -ra series takes -rais: colocarais.
Pidió sets a past request frame. Colocaron minus -ron gives coloca-, and vosotros in the -ra series takes -rais: colocarais.
Answer: colocarais — Pidió sets a past request frame. Colocaron minus -ron gives coloca-, and vosotros in the -ra series takes -rais: colocarais.
Pidió sets a past request frame. Colocaron minus -ron gives coloca-, and vosotros in the -ra series takes -rais: colocarais.
Check objective 3Another case
A proposed answer is “dispone” for this case: “Use the planned route and unavailable car. Complete with the -ra series: Si Paula dispone de un coche, recorrería toda la costa. (disponer)”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “disponiera” for this case: “Use the planned route and unavailable car. Complete with the -ra series: Si Paula disponiera de un coche, recorrería toda la costa. (disponer)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: dispusiera — The car is unavailable, so the present plan is unreal. The preterite ellos form is dispusieron; remove -ron and add -ra: dispusiera.
The car is unavailable, so the present plan is unreal. The preterite ellos form is dispusieron; remove -ron and add -ra: dispusiera.
Answer: dispusiera — The car is unavailable, so the present plan is unreal. The preterite ellos form is dispusieron; remove -ron and add -ra: dispusiera.
The car is unavailable, so the present plan is unreal. The preterite ellos form is dispusieron; remove -ron and add -ra: dispusiera.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Si tendría permiso, entraría.
Right Si tuviera permiso, entraría.
In the standard unreal pattern, si introduces an imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive protasis; the conditional belongs in the consequence.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) Build the nosotros -ra form of disponer from the preterite ellos form dispusieron. 2) A proposed answer is “dispusiera” for this case: “Use exactly three posters. La coordinadora pidió que vosotros dispusiera los tres carteles en el expositor. (colocar)”. Choose the only valid form. 3) A proposed answer is “colocarais” for this case: “Use the planned route and unavailable car. Complete with the -ra series: Si Paula colocarais de un coche, recorrería toda la costa. (disponer)”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
- Build all six persons of both imperfect-subjunctive series from the preterite ellos form.
- Use the imperfect subjunctive after a past wish, request, evaluation or non-specific antecedent.
- Distinguish unreal present or future conditions from unreal past conditions with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Answer: dispusiéramos · colocarais · dispusiera
Remove -ron from dispusieron and add -ramos, with the required accent: dispusiéramos. Pidió sets a past request frame. Colocaron minus -ron gives coloca-, and vosotros in the -ra series takes -rais: colocarais. The car is unavailable, so the present plan is unreal. The preterite ellos form is dispusieron; remove -ron and add -ra: dispusiera.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- B2 learners can develop clear connected discourse, explain viewpoints and qualify propositions; the grammatical progression is an editorial means to those capacities. · CEFR descriptors search
- The B2 inventory gives complete -ra and -se imperfect-subjunctive paradigms, irregular stems, past-frame subordination, unreal conditional correlations and the pluperfect subjunctive. · ic-pcic-grammar-b1-b2