B1 Spanish grammar

Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive: The -Ra Forms

Build the common -ra imperfect subjunctive from the ellos preterite. This preserves irregular preterite stems and provides the form needed for basic hypothetical conditions and past reported influence.

Spanish imperfect subjunctive: Start from the ellos preterite

Take the third-person plural preterite and remove -ron to form the base.

tuvieron → tuvie-
they had → imperfect-subjunctive baseThe irregular preterite stem remains visible.

Quick check

Base from dijeron:

Add the -ra endings

Add -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, and -ran; the vowel before -ramos carries an accent.

hablara, hablaras, hablara, habláramos, hablarais, hablaran
the -ra series of hablarThe nosotros form marks its stress with an accent.

Use the form in a basic hypothesis

After si, the imperfect subjunctive presents an unreal, unlikely, or imagined present/future condition.

Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría.
If I had time, I would travel.Tuviera presents the imagined condition.

Common mistakes

tener → tenera

tuvieron → tuviera

Start from tuvieron, not the infinitive.

hablaramos

habláramos

The nosotros form requires a written accent.

Si tendría tiempo, viajaría.

Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría.

Do not use the conditional directly after si.

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Practice Spanish imperfect subjunctive

Imperfect subjunctive FAQ

What does imperfect subjunctive cover?

Build the common -ra imperfect subjunctive from the ellos preterite. This preserves irregular preterite stems and provides the form needed for basic hypothetical conditions and past reported influence.

What is the first rule to remember?

Take the third-person plural preterite and remove -ron to form the base.

What is another important B1 pattern?

Add -ra, -ras, -ra, -ramos, -rais, and -ran; the vowel before -ramos carries an accent.

How can I practise Spanish imperfect subjunctive?

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

Continue learning

Real future conditionsUse present indicative after si and a future, command, or present result for likely future conditions.Second conditionalCombine si plus the imperfect subjunctive with a conditional result for hypothetical present or future situations.Contrast and result connectorsConnect an argument with aunque, sin embargo, a pesar de, por eso, así que, and de todos modos.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.