# 49. Past Subjunctive (Imperfect Subjunctive)

> Source: [A Complete Guide To Every Fundamental In Spanish](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=13867s)

The past (imperfect) subjunctive expresses states and conditions in multi-clause sentences triggered by a W.E.I.R.D. verb in the past. It works just like the present subjunctive but shifted into the past — the main clause must be in the preterite or imperfect to activate it.

## Key Rules

- Trigger: a W.E.I.R.D. verb (Wish, Emotion, Impersonal opinion, Recommendation, Doubt) in the **past simple** or **imperfect**.
- Whole sentence must sit in the past — both clauses are past tense.
- Has **two equally valid endings**: -ra forms and -se forms (the -ra forms are far more common in speech).
- Formation: take the **3rd person plural preterite**, drop `-ron`, then add the endings.
- The `nosotros` form always carries an accent on the stem vowel (e.g., `habláramos`, `comiéramos`).

## Conjugation / Pattern Tables

### Regular -ar (hablar)

| Pronoun | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablara | hablase |
| tú | hablaras | hablases |
| él/ella | hablara | hablase |
| nosotros | habláramos | hablásemos |
| vosotros | hablarais | hablaseis |
| ellos | hablaran | hablasen |

### Regular -er / -ir (comer / vivir)

| Pronoun | comer (-ra) | vivir (-ra) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comiera | viviera |
| tú | comieras | vivieras |
| él/ella | comiera | viviera |
| nosotros | comiéramos | viviéramos |
| vosotros | comierais | vivierais |
| ellos | comieran | vivieran |

### Common irregulars (yo / nosotros / ellos)

| Verb | yo | nosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|
| dar | diera | diéramos | dieran |
| decir | dijera | dijéramos | dijeran |
| estar | estuviera | estuviéramos | estuvieran |
| hacer | hiciera | hiciéramos | hicieran |
| ir / ser | fuera | fuéramos | fueran |
| poder | pudiera | pudiéramos | pudieran |
| saber | supiera | supiéramos | supieran |
| tener | tuviera | tuviéramos | tuvieran |
| venir | viniera | viniéramos | vinieran |
| preferir | prefiriera | prefiriéramos | prefirieran |
| dormir | durmiera | durmiéramos | durmieran |
| conducir | condujera | condujéramos | condujeran |
| creer | creyera | creyéramos | creyeran |
| oír | oyera | oyéramos | oyeran |

## Examples

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo quería que tú hablaras conmigo. | I wanted you to speak with me. |
| Esperábamos que él hablara en la reunión. | We hoped that he spoke in the meeting. |
| Ella decidió que comiéramos algo. | She decided that we eat something. |
| Tú insististe que yo corriera por las mañanas. | You insisted that I run in the mornings. |
| Ellos me recomendaron que yo escribiera una carta. | They recommended me to write a letter. |
| Yo necesitaba que tú recibieras este mensaje. | I needed you to receive this message. |
| Tú tenías miedo de que él te lo diera. | You were afraid that he gave you it. |
| Él deseaba que dijéramos algo sobre eso. | He desired that we say something about that. |
| Dudamos que tú estuvieras hablando. | We doubted that you were speaking. |
| Ellos querían que tú hicieras la cama. | They wanted you to make the bed. |
| Yo esperaba que tú fueras a la escuela. | I hoped that you went to school. |
| Tú querías que yo fuera feliz. | You wanted me to be happy. |
| Ella esperaba que yo pudiera encontrarlo. | She hoped that I could find it. |
| Necesitábamos que tú lo pusieras aquí. | We needed you to put it here. |
| Ellos dudaban que él supiera lo que era. | They doubted that he knew what it was. |
| Era necesario que fuéramos a la escuela. | It was necessary that we go to school. |

## Notes & Gotchas

- English collapses two structures into one: "I wanted you to speak" and "I wanted that you spoke" — Spanish uses one form (`que tú hablaras`).
- Object pronouns and `no` go **before** the conjugated subjunctive verb (`que él te lo diera`).
- `fuera` covers both `ir` and `ser` (context disambiguates).
- The -se forms are mostly literary/Iberian; default to -ra in conversation.
- The past subjunctive is also the form used after `si` in contrary-to-fact conditionals (`Si yo fuera rico…`).
