The Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish

What you will go through

1. 1
   1 Step 1 of 9 ·2 min Separate Time from Speaker Stance Interpret imperfect-subjunctive forms by separating their time reference from the speaker’s stance.
2. 2
   2 Step 2 of 9 ·3 min Build the -ra and -se Forms Form regular and irregular imperfect subjunctive verbs using the -ra and -se ending sets.
3. 3
   3 Step 3 of 9 ·4 min Anchor Subordinate Events to a Viewpoint Choose the mood and tense of reported subordinate clauses by tracking communicative intent and the active temporal viewpoint.
4. 4
   4 Step 4 of 9 ·3 min Distinguish Established from Sought Referents Choose indicative or imperfect subjunctive in past-context relative clauses by distinguishing an established antecedent from one that is sought or otherwise unestablished.
5. 5
   5 Step 5 of 9 ·4 min Express Purpose, Timing, and Concession Use conjunction meaning and speaker perspective to choose imperfect subjunctive or indicative forms in purpose, temporal, and concessive clauses.
6. 6
   6 Step 6 of 9 ·3 min Build Remote Conditions with si Use the Spanish remote conditional to distinguish a more distanced present or future condition from an open one.
7. 7
   7 Step 7 of 9 ·3 min Express Wishes and Imagined Comparisons Frame wishes as open or remote with ojalá, and use como si plus the imperfect subjunctive for simultaneous imagined comparisons.
8. 8
   8 Step 8 of 9 ·3 min Choose Polite Forms and Register Select natural polite requests and understand why conventional quisiera is not a mechanical -ra/-se substitution context.
9. 9
   9 Step 9 of 9 ·5 min Apply and Review in Context Integrate and review imperfect subjunctive form, time reference, mood selection, and register in a contextualized Spanish message.