Present Subjunctive in Spanish: Clear Guide & Examples

The Present Subjunctive in Spanish is formed by taking the first person singular (yo) form of the present indicative, dropping the final -o, and adding the subjunctive endings.

The subjunctive endings are basically the reverse vowels of the indicative:

• For -AR verbs, use endings with e
• For -ER and -IR verbs, use endings with a

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Subjunctive Endings

Verb Type	Endings
-AR	e, es, e, emos, en
-ER	a, as, a, amos, an
-IR	a, as, a, amos, an

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Examples with Regular Verbs

Verb	Yo form	Tú form	Él/Ella form	Nosotros form	Ellos form
Amar (to love)	ame	ames	ame	amemos	amen
Comer (to eat)	coma	comas	coma	comamos	coman
Escribir (to write)	escriba	escribas	escriba	escribamos	escriban

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Irregular Verbs

Some verbs have irregular present subjunctive forms because their present indicative “yo” form does not end in -o. Examples include:
dar, estar, ir, saber, ser.

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Usage of the Present Subjunctive

The subjunctive is mainly used in subordinate clauses that express wishes, doubts, emotions, or requests.

For example, when the main clause expresses a request or persuasion, the subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause because the action is uncertain or hypothetical.

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Indicative vs Subjunctive Example

Context	Spanish	English
Information	Ella les dice que van a trabajar.	She tells them that they are going to work.
Request	Ella les dice que vayan a trabajar.	She tells them to go to work.

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Important Note

The first and third person singular forms of the present subjunctive are identical, so sometimes subject pronouns are added to avoid confusion.

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✅ Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive

There are six essential irregular verbs in the Spanish present subjunctive. These verbs do not follow the standard pattern, and their forms must be memorized.

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él / Ella	Nosotros	Ellos
Dar	dé	des	dé	demos	den
Estar	esté	estés	esté	estemos	estén
Ir	vaya	vayas	vaya	vayamos	vayan
Saber	sepa	sepas	sepa	sepamos	sepan
Ser	sea	seas	sea	seamos	sean
Haber	haya	hayas	haya	hayamos	hayan

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📘 Notes on “Haber”

The verb haber is most commonly used in the impersonal form in the present subjunctive:

• haya → “there is,” “there are,” or “there might be”

✅ Examples:

• Espero que haya comida suficiente.
  (I hope there is enough food.)
• Es posible que haya un error en el sistema.
  (It’s possible there is a mistake in the system.)

📝 Practice: Irregular Verbs – Present Subjunctive

✅ Instructions:

Choose the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the present subjunctive. Remember: you’re practicing dar, estar, ir, saber, ser, and haber.

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