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Present Subjunctive Endings [+ Free PDF Cheatsheet]

Table of Contents

  • Present Subjunctive Endings
    • Regular Verbs
    • Stem-Changing Verbs
    • Verbs With Orthographic Changes
    • Completely Irregular Verbs
    • Verbs That Are Irregular In the Yo Form Only
  • Present Subjunctive Ending Chart

Present Subjunctive Endings

present subjunctive endings

The present subjunctive endings of verbs that end in -ar are:

• e

• es

• e

• emos

• éis

• en

For -er and -ir verbs, use:

• a

• as

• a

• amos

• áis

• an

Regular Verbs

Can you conjugate Spanish verbs in the simple present tense? If so, conjugating verbs in the present subjunctive will be easy for you!

Learn how to use regular verbs with the post How to Conjugate Regular Verbs in Spanish (+ Free PDF).

You can form the present subjunctive of almost all verbs from the yo form of the present indicative. You just need to drop the -o and add the proper ending to the stem. Let me give you some examples.

What’s the conjugation of amar (to love) in the simple present tense for the yo form? You are right. It’s amo (I love). Since the verb amar ends in -ar, it is necessary to use the present subjunctive endings of verbs that end in -ar to conjugate this verb.

Let’s conjugate this verb together! First, we need to get rid of the -o in amo. We are left with am. Now, let’s add the endings -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en to it to get the present subjunctive conjugation of amar.

pronouns simple present present subjunctive
yo amo ame
tú / vos ames
él / ella / usted ame
nosotros / as amemos
vosotros / as améis
ellos / ustedes amen

Stem-Changing Verbs

You can conjugate stem-changing verbs using the steps you followed above.  However, there is something important that you need to remember about these verbs.

Stem-changing verbs are called “boot” verbs. Have you ever wondered why? It’s because when they are conjugated and placed in a conjugation table, the only verbs that suffer a stem change form a boot.

quiero queremos
quieres queréis
quiere quieren

That kind of looks like a boot, doesn’t it?

Notice that the nosotros and vosotros forms in the chart are not affected by the stem change in the simple present tense. Well, those forms are not affected in the present subjunctive either.

Alright, let’s conjugate the lovely verb querer (to want, love). What’s the conjugation of querer in the simple present tense for the yo form? You are right again. It’s quiero (I want).

Let’s get rid of the -o in quiero. We are left with quier. Since querer ends in -er, it is necessary to use the present subjunctive endings for verbs that end in -er to conjugate this verb.

pronouns simple present present subjunctive
yo quiero quiera
tú / vos quieras
él / ella / usted quiera
nosotros / as queramos
vosotros / as queráis
ellos / ustedes quieran

Verbs With Orthographic Changes

A few regular and irregular verbs suffer orthographic changes when they are conjugated in the present subjunctive tense.

The most common spelling changes are the following.

• Verbs that end in -gar change g to gu.
• Verbs that end in -car change c to qu.
• Verbs that end in -zar change z to c.

A common verb that ends in -zar is comenzar. It is a stem-changing verb.

Do you know the yo form of comenzar in the simple present tense? It’s comienzo. Let’s follow the steps we have learned to conjugate this verb!

If we get rid of the -o in comienzo, we are left with comienz. Now, remember that verbs that end in -zar change z to c, so we have comienc.

Let’s use the present subjunctive endings for verbs that end in -ar to conjugate this verb: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.

pronouns simple present present subjunctive
yo comienzo comience
tú / vos comiences
él / ella / usted comience
nosotros / as comencemos
vosotros / as comencéis
ellos / ustedes comiencen

Completely Irregular Verbs

There are only seven verbs that are completely irregular in the present subjunctive tense. I would suggest you learn the conjugation of the following verbs by heart.

For a full list of irregular verbs in Spanish, visit the post 200 Examples of Spanish Irregular Verbs.

Notice that the conjugation of ser and ver in the present subjunctive is very similar.

pronouns SER VER
yo sea vea
tú / vos seas veas
él / ella / usted sea vea
nosotros / as seamos veamos
vosotros / as seáis veáis
ellos / ustedes sean vean

The verbs ir and haber also have similar conjugation patterns in the present subjunctive.

pronouns IR HABER
yo vaya haya
tú / vos vayas hayas
él / ella / usted vaya haya
nosotros / as vayamos hayamos
vosotros / as vayáis hayáis
ellos / ustedes vayan hayan

Estar and dar share similarities in their conjugation pattern as well. 

pronouns ESTAR DAR
yo esté dé
tú / vos estés des
él / ella / usted esté dé
nosotros / as estemos demos
vosotros / as estéis deis
ellos / ustedes estén den

Finally, notice the present-subjunctive conjugation of saber.

pronouns SABER
yo sepa
tú / vos sepas
él / ella / usted sepa
nosotros / as sepamos
vosotros / as sepáis
ellos / ustedes sepan

Verbs That Are Irregular In the Yo Form Only

Verbs that irregular in the yo form of the present indicative are irregular in all the forms in the present subjunctive.

Notice the conjugation of hacer, a verb that is irregular in the yo form only in the present indicative.

Can you recall the conjugation of hacer for the yo pronoun in the present indicative? It’s hago.

Get rid of the -o in hago and add the proper endings to conjugate this verb.

pronouns simple present present subjunctive
yo hago haga
tú / vos haces / hacés hagas
él / ella / usted hace haga
nosotros / as hacemos hagamos
vosotros / as hacéis hagáis
ellos / ustedes hacen hagan

Conjugate the following verbs the same way we conjugated hacer.

Get rid of the -o ending of the yo form of the present indicative tense of the following verbs. Then, add -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an to what you are left with to conjugate them in the present subjunctive tense.

pronouns present indicative present subjunctive
yo conozco conozca
yo tengo tenga
yo pongo ponga
yo salgo salga
yo vengo venga
yo digo diga
yo oigo oiga
yo pido pida

Present Subjunctive Ending Chart

I hope this sheet helps you remember what we learned today!

present subjunctive endings
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