B1 Spanish grammar

Irregular Spanish Present Subjunctive: Sea, Vaya, Haya, and More

Six high-frequency verbs have fully irregular present subjunctive stems. Learn sea, vaya, haya, sepa, esté, and dé as complete families.

irregular Spanish present subjunctive: Use sea and vaya

Ser uses sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean; ir uses vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan.

Quiero que seas paciente y vayas conmigo.
I want you to be patient and go with me.Both verbs are fully irregular.

Quick check

That we are:

Use haya and sepa

Haber uses haya and saber uses sepa throughout their present subjunctive paradigms.

Dudo que haya tiempo y que él lo sepa.
I doubt there is time and that he knows it.Doubt triggers both irregular forms.

Keep accents in esté and dé

Present subjunctive forms of estar carry accents except estemos; dé carries an accent to distinguish it from the preposition de.

Es mejor que esté aquí y dé una explicación.
It is better that he be here and give an explanation.Both third-person forms need written accents.

Common mistakes

Quiero que eres paciente y vas conmigo.

Quiero que seas paciente y vayas conmigo.

The wish frames both subordinate verbs with the subjunctive.

Dudo que hay tiempo.

Dudo que haya tiempo.

Hay becomes haya in the subjunctive.

Espero que este aquí y de una respuesta.

Espero que esté aquí y dé una respuesta.

The verb forms require accents.

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Practice irregular Spanish present subjunctive

Irregular subjunctive FAQ

What does irregular subjunctive cover?

Six high-frequency verbs have fully irregular present subjunctive stems. Learn sea, vaya, haya, sepa, esté, and dé as complete families.

What is the first rule to remember?

Ser uses sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean; ir uses vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan.

What is another important B1 pattern?

Haber uses haya and saber uses sepa throughout their present subjunctive paradigms.

How can I practise irregular Spanish present subjunctive?

Complete the focused round, review each correction, and repeat the lesson when its skills become due again.

Continue learning

Present subjunctiveStart from the present yo form, remove -o, and add the opposite-vowel subjunctive endings.Subjunctive stem changesCarry present stem changes into the subjunctive and apply the special nosotros patterns of -ir verbs.Indicative or subjunctiveChoose the indicative for presented information and the subjunctive when a clause is framed through influence, reaction, doubt, or non-specific reference.Complete B1 Spanish grammar courseSee every B1 unit and continue through the course in order.Spanish tense guidesCompare the major tense systems used throughout this course.