El imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)
El imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se) means “Past subjunctive (-ra/-se) for past wishes, doubts and hypotheses”. Build it from the third-person plural of the preterite: remove -ron and add -ra or -se (both are valid): hablaron → hablara/hablase; comieron → comiera/comiese; fueron → fuera/fuese. Formation: 3ª pl. del indefinido − -ron + -ra/-se: hablaron → hablara/hablase · comieron → comiera
Past subjunctive (-ra/-se) for past wishes, doubts and hypotheses
B2Formation
3ª pl. del indefinido − -ron + -ra/-se: hablaron → hablara/hablase · comieron → comiera
Explanation
Build it from the third-person plural of the preterite: remove -ron and add -ra or -se (both are valid): hablaron → hablara/hablase; comieron → comiera/comiese; fueron → fuera/fuese. Use it when the trigger (wish, emotion, doubt) is in the past — Quería que vinieras — and in hypothetical wishes: Ojalá tuviera más tiempo. Because it comes from the preterite, every irregular preterite stem carries over (tuvieron → tuviera).
Examples
Note
The -ra and -se forms mean the same; -ra is more common in speech.
FAQ
El imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Past subjunctive (-ra/-se) for past wishes, doubts and hypotheses. Build it from the third-person plural of the preterite: remove -ron and add -ra or -se (both are valid): hablaron → hablara/hablase; comieron → comiera/comiese; fueron → fuera/fuese. Use it when the trigger (wish, emotion, doubt) is in the past — Quería que vinieras — and in hypothetical wishes: Ojalá tuviera más tiempo. Because it comes from the preterite, every irregular preterite stem carries over (tuvieron → tuviera).
El imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se) — how do you form it?
3ª pl. del indefinido − -ron + -ra/-se: hablaron → hablara/hablase · comieron → comiera
El imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se) — any usage notes?
The -ra and -se forms mean the same; -ra is more common in speech.