Spanish 3 / Unit 2: The Present Subjunctive with Wishes and Emotions
2.2 Stem Changes and Irregular Subjunctives
Notes
Stem-changing verbs keep their present-tense changes in the boot forms (yo, tú, él, ellos). -ar and -er verbs keep the regular stem for nosotros. -ir verbs also change in the nosotros form (e → i, o → u).
| Verb | yo / ellos | nosotros |
|---|---|---|
| pensar (e → ie) | piense / piensen | pensemos |
| poder (o → ue) | pueda / puedan | podamos |
| pedir (e → i) | pida / pidan | pidamos |
| dormir (o → ue) | duerma / duerman | durmamos |
Six irregular verbs (remember DISHES):
| Verb | Subjunctive forms |
|---|---|
| dar | dé, des, dé, demos, den |
| estar | esté, estés, esté, estemos, estén |
| ir | vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayan |
| haber | haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayan |
| saber | sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepan |
| ser | sea, seas, sea, seamos, sean |
- Dé (give) has an accent to tell it apart from the preposition de. Esté and estén also carry accents.
Practice
El profesor quiere que nosotros ___ (dormir) ocho horas antes del examen.
-ir stem-changing verbs also change in nosotros: o → u, so durmamos.
Ojalá que ella ___ (ser) feliz en su nuevo trabajo.
Ser has the irregular subjunctive sea.
Quiero que tú me ___ (dar) tu número de teléfono.
Dar is irregular: des. The accented form (dé) is only used for yo, usted and él/ella.
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