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You have mastered the regular pattern. Now your Colombian friend says: "Espero que puedas venir" and "Quiero que seas feliz." Neither puedas nor seas follows the clean opposite-vowel rule you just learned. Welcome to the irregular subjunctive -- the verbs that break the pattern but follow their own predictable logic. The good news: there are only three categories of irregulars, and you will know all of them by the end of this lesson.
B1-B2 Language Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Remember stem-changing verbs in the indicative? Verbs like querer (quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, quieren) where the stem changes in all forms EXCEPT nosotros? The same "boot pattern" applies in the subjunctive.
| Person | QUERER (to want) | PENSAR (to think) | SENTIR (to feel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | quiera | piense | sienta |
| tu | quieras | pienses | sientas |
| usted | quiera | piense | sienta |
| nosotros | queramos | pensemos | sintamos* |
| ustedes | quieran | piensen | sientan |
*Note: -IR stem-changers like sentir have an additional change in nosotros (e→i). More on this below.
Complete: 'Espero que tu _____ (querer) venir a mi fiesta.'
| Person | PODER (to be able) | DORMIR (to sleep) | VOLVER (to return) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pueda | duerma | vuelva |
| tu | puedas | duermas | vuelvas |
| usted | pueda | duerma | vuelva |
| nosotros | podamos | durmamos* | volvamos |
| ustedes | puedan | duerman | vuelvan |
*Dormir (an -IR verb) changes o→u in nosotros, not back to o.
Complete: 'No creo que ella _____ (poder) terminar a tiempo.'
| Person | PEDIR (to ask for) | REPETIR (to repeat) | SEGUIR (to follow) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pida | repita | siga |
| tu | pidas | repitas | sigas |
| usted | pida | repita | siga |
| nosotros | pidamos | repitamos | sigamos |
| ustedes | pidan | repitan | sigan |
IR Stem-Changers Are Different in Nosotros
For -IR stem-changing verbs, the nosotros form ALSO changes in the subjunctive (unlike -AR and -ER stem-changers):
This is unique to -IR verbs in the subjunctive. -AR and -ER stem-changers return to their normal stem in nosotros (pensemos, podamos).
Complete: 'El doctor recomienda que nosotros _____ (dormir) ocho horas.'
These six verbs do NOT follow the yo-form shortcut. You must memorize them. The good news: there are only six, and you use them constantly, so they will become automatic quickly.
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sea | seas | sea | seamos | sean |
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya | hayas | haya | hayamos | hayan |
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vaya | vayas | vaya | vayamos | vayan |
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sepa | sepas | sepa | sepamos | sepan |
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| de | des | de | demos | den |
| yo | tu | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| este | estes | este | estemos | esten |
Complete: 'Ojala que todo _____ (ser) bien.'
Complete: 'No creo que ellos _____ (ir) a la fiesta.'
Complete: 'Es importante que tu _____ (saber) la verdad.'
Planning a Surprise Party in Cali
Laura: Necesito que Juan no sepa nada. (I need Juan to not know anything.) Diego: Y es importante que todos esten aqui a las 7. (And it is important everyone is here at 7.) Laura: Ojala que le de una sorpresa bonita. (Hopefully it gives him a nice surprise.) Diego: Espero que sea la mejor fiesta del ano. (I hope it is the best party of the year.)
A Mother's Worries
Mama: Espero que haya comida suficiente. (I hope there is enough food.) Papa: No creo que vayan tantas personas. (I do not think that many people will go.) Mama: Quiero que todo este perfecto. (I want everything to be perfect.)
Some verbs change their spelling in the subjunctive to keep the same pronunciation. This is not a true irregularity - it is Spanish's way of maintaining consistent sounds.
| Verb | Yo Indicative | Subjunctive Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| buscar | busco | busqu- | busque, busques, busque... |
| tocar | toco | toqu- | toque, toques, toque... |
| sacar | saco | saqu- | saque, saques, saque... |
| Verb | Yo Indicative | Subjunctive Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| llegar | llego | llegu- | llegue, llegues, llegue... |
| pagar | pago | pagu- | pague, pagues, pague... |
| jugar | juego | juegu- | juegue, juegues, juegue... |
| Verb | Yo Indicative | Subjunctive Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| empezar | empiezo | empiec- | empiece, empieces, empiece... |
| almorzar | almuerzo | almuerc- | almuerce, almuerces, almuerce... |
| comenzar | comienzo | comienc- | comience, comiences, comience... |
Complete: 'Es necesario que yo _____ (buscar) un apartamento.'
Complete: 'Quiero que ustedes _____ (llegar) temprano.'
Complete: 'Es importante que la clase _____ (empezar) a tiempo.'
Step 1: Is it one of the 6 fully irregular verbs? (ser, haber, ir, saber, dar, estar) If YES → memorize the forms. No shortcut works.
Step 2: Is it a stem-changing verb? If YES → apply the boot pattern (change in all forms except nosotros for -AR/-ER; all forms including nosotros for -IR).
Step 3: Does it end in -car, -gar, or -zar? If YES → apply the spelling change (-car→qu, -gar→gu, -zar→c) before adding subjunctive endings.
Step 4: Does it have an irregular yo form in the indicative? If YES → the yo-form shortcut still works! tengo→teng-→tenga, digo→dig-→diga, hago→hag-→haga.
Test yourself: