The main rule
Two different subjects joined by que, and the first verb is in the past (or is a conditional like me gustaría): the second verb goes into the imperfect subjunctive (Quería que vinieras). One subject: the infinitive (Quería venir). Form: take ellos of the indefinido, drop -ron and add -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran. The tense of the first verb decides: Quiero que vengas, but Quería que vinieras.
Forms of the imperfect subjunctive
Start from the ellos form of the indefinido, not from the infinitive. Every irregularity of that form (tuvieron, dijeron, fueron) carries into all six persons, so there is nothing new to memorise beyond the endings.
| Verb | yo | tú | él, ella, usted | nosotros | vosotros (Spain) | ustedes, ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hablar (hablaron) | hablara | hablaras | hablara | habláramos | hablarais | hablaran |
| comer (comieron) | comiera | comieras | comiera | comiéramos | comierais | comieran |
| vivir (vivieron) | viviera | vivieras | viviera | viviéramos | vivierais | vivieran |
| Infinitive | ellos (indefinido) | yo (imperfect subjunctive) |
|---|---|---|
| tener | tuvieron | tuviera |
| estar | estuvieron | estuviera |
| poder | pudieron | pudiera |
| poner | pusieron | pusiera |
| saber | supieron | supiera |
| hacer | hicieron | hiciera |
| querer | quisieron | quisiera |
| venir | vinieron | viniera |
| ser, ir | fueron | fuera |
| dar | dieron | diera |
| haber (hubo, "there was") | hubo | hubiera |
| decir | dijeron | dijera |
| traer | trajeron | trajera |
| conducir | condujeron | condujera |
| pedir | pidieron | pidiera |
| dormir | durmieron | durmiera |
| leer | leyeron | leyera |
| oír | oyeron | oyera |
Three patterns inside that list. Verbs with a stem in j lose the i of the ending: dijeron gives dijera, not *dijiera. -ir verbs that changed their vowel in the indefinido keep it in every person: pidiera, durmiera, sintiera. After a vowel the i becomes y: leyera, oyera, construyera. Ser and ir share fuera.
In nosotros the stress falls on the vowel before -ra, so it always has a written accent: habláramos, comiéramos, tuviéramos, fuéramos, dijéramos. The other persons have no accent.
The -se forms
Spanish has a second set of endings, -se, -ses, -se, -semos, -seis, -sen, with the same meaning: hablase, hablases, hablase, hablásemos, hablaseis, hablasen and tuviese, tuvieses, tuviese, tuviésemos. You will meet them in books and newspapers and hear them in parts of Spain, but -ra is far more common, especially in speech, so it is the form to learn first. Recognise -se, and use -ra.
English and Spanish
English says "I wanted you to come" with a pronoun and an infinitive. Spanish cannot do that: it needs que and a conjugated verb, Quería que vinieras, and the same goes for "I asked him to help me", Le pedí que me ayudara. And where English keeps one structure for "I want you to come" and "I wanted you to come", Spanish changes the verb form with the tense: Quiero que vengas, Quería que vinieras. On the other hand, you already know the idea behind "I wish I had" and "as if he knew": a past-looking form for something that is not real now. Spanish does the same with ojalá tuviera and como si supiera.
Which tense after which verb
| First verb | Second verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present (quiero, espero) | present subjunctive | Quiero que me llames |
| past (quería, pedí, esperaba) | imperfect subjunctive | Esperaba que me llamaras |
| conditional (me gustaría) | imperfect subjunctive | Me gustaría que me llamaras |
| same subject, any tense | infinitive | Quería llamarte |
The same triggers you know from the present subjunctive work here, only in the past: querer que, pedir que, esperar que, feelings (Me alegró que, Me sorprendió que), judgements (Fue una pena que, Era importante que, Era necesario que), doubt and denial (No creía que, Dudaba que) and purpose (para que). With one subject Spanish uses the infinitive: Fue una pena perder el tren.
One honest nuance: if the event is still ahead of now, speakers also use the present subjunctive after a past verb, and it is correct: Me pidió que lo llame mañana. The imperfect (que lo llamara mañana) is always safe, so use it when in doubt.
Examples
- Quería que vinieras a la fiesta. I wanted you to come to the party.
- Le pedí que me ayudara con la mudanza. I asked him to help me with the move.
- Me alegró que aceptaran mi propuesta. I was glad they accepted my proposal.
- Fue una pena que no pudieras venir. It was a shame you could not come.
- Era importante que llegáramos pronto. It was important for us to arrive early.
- No creía que fuera verdad. I did not think it was true.
- Te lo expliqué para que lo entendieras. I explained it to you so that you would understand it.
- Ojalá tuviera más tiempo. I wish I had more time.
- Quisiera hablar con la directora. I would like to speak to the director.
- Habla como si lo supiera todo. He talks as if he knew everything.
Ojalá: possible or not
Ojalá with the present subjunctive is a hope that may come true: Ojalá venga ("I hope he comes"). With the imperfect subjunctive it is a wish you do not expect to be fulfilled, or that is impossible now: Ojalá estuvieras aquí ("I wish you were here"), Ojalá hubiera más plazas ("I wish there were more places"). It is the same step English takes from "I hope he comes" to "I wish he came". Keep ojalá plus the imperfect for the present or the future; a regret about the past uses another form, taught later. Sentences with si tuviera belong to a later topic.
Quisiera and como si
Quisiera (or quisiéramos) is a polite way to ask: Quisiera una mesa para dos. Quiero, quería and querría are polite enough too, but quisiera is the softest. Here quisiera stands on its own as the main verb, and in this polite use nobody says quisiese.
Como si ("as if") takes the imperfect subjunctive, and the verb in the other clause can be present or past: Me miró como si no me conociera ("He looked at me as if he did not know me").
Quick check
Before choosing the form, find the first verb. If it is in the past or a conditional, go to ellos of the indefinido and add -ra. If it is in the present, you want the present subjunctive from the earlier topic.
Common mistakes
Quería tú venir.Quería que vinieras. no "you to come" structure in SpanishLe pedí ayudarme.Le pedí que me ayudara. a different subject needs queQuería que venías.Quería que vinieras. subjunctive, not the imperfect indicativeAyer quería que vengas.Ayer quería que vinieras. finished past: the first verb is pastOjalá tengo más tiempo.Ojalá tuviera más tiempo. "I wish I had" needs the subjunctiveHabla como si sabe todo.Habla como si supiera todo. como si: imperfect subjunctiveEsperaba que teniera tiempo.Esperaba que tuviera tiempo. start from tuvieron, not tenerQueríamos que hablaramos.Queríamos que habláramos. written accent in nosotros
Questions and answers
What is the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish?
It is the subjunctive form for the past, such as hablara, comiera and tuviera. It is used after a past main verb with a different subject (Quería que vinieras), after ojalá for unlikely wishes, and after como si.
How do you form the imperfect subjunctive?
Take the ellos form of the indefinido, remove -ron and add -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, -ran: tuvieron gives tuviera, tuvieras, tuviera, tuviéramos, tuvierais, tuvieran.
When do I say quería que vinieras and when quiero que vengas?
It depends on the first verb. A past verb or me gustaría takes the imperfect subjunctive, a present verb takes the present subjunctive: Quería que vinieras, Quiero que vengas.
What is the difference between hablara and hablase?
There is no difference in meaning. Hablase is the alternative form, found more in writing; hablara is the more common one, especially in speech.
What is the difference between ojalá tenga and ojalá tuviera?
Ojalá tenga is a hope for something that may still happen. Ojalá tuviera is a wish for something unlikely or impossible now, like "I wish I had".
Why do Spanish speakers say quisiera instead of quiero?
Quisiera is a softer, more polite request: Quisiera pedir una cita. Quiero is more direct, although the plain form is not rude.