How to Conjugate the Present Subjunctive in Spanish

The present subjunctive in Spanish (presente del subjuntivo) is one of the most logical and regular verb forms. Once you understand the pattern, you can conjugate most Spanish verbs with confidence. In this guide, we’ll explain step by step how to form the present subjunctive, including regular verbs, spelling changes, stem changes, and irregular verbs.

The Basic Rule

To form the present subjunctive, start with the yo form of the present indicative, remove the final -o, and then add the opposite endings:

–AR verbs: use –E endings
–ER and –IR verbs: use –A endings

Regular Verbs

Here’s how regular verbs are conjugated in the present subjunctive:

Person	HABLAR	COMER	VIVIR
yo	hable	coma	viva
tú	hables	comas	vivas
él/ella/usted	hable	coma	viva
nosotros/as	hablemos	comamos	vivamos
vosotros/as	habléis	comáis	viváis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	hablen	coman	vivan

Note: –AR verbs change the vowel A → E, while –ER / –IR verbs change E/I → A. The first and third person singular forms are always the same.

Spelling Changes

Some verbs change spelling slightly to maintain pronunciation before adding subjunctive endings:

Type	Example	Change	Subjunctive Forms
–CAR	buscar	c → qu	busque, busques, busque…
–GAR	llegar	g → gu	llegue, llegues, llegue…
–ZAR	empezar	z → c	empiece, empieces, empiece…
–GER / –GIR	escoger	g → j	escoja, escojas, escoja…
–GUIR	seguir	gu → g	siga, sigas, siga…

Stem-Changing Verbs

Some verbs retain the same stem changes as in the present indicative:

–AR and –ER verbs

E → IE or O → UE (except nosotros and vosotros).

Verb	Subjunctive Forms
pensar	piense, pienses, piense, pensemos, penséis, piensen
volver	vuelva, vuelvas, vuelva, volvamos, volváis, vuelvan

–IR verbs

Vowel changes in all forms (E → I / O → U in nosotros and vosotros).

Verb	Subjunctive Forms
sentir	sienta, sientas, sienta, sintamos, sintáis, sientan
dormir	duerma, duermas, duerma, durmamos, durmáis, duerman
pedir	pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan

🌸⁣⁣SUMMER SALE! 🌸⁣⁣ Use the code: [SUMMER20]

Learn Spanish with live online lessons

¡Hola!

We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.

In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while.

The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Out team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we come back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.

It is a small local business. We work with small groups because we like to get to know all our students and design personalized lessons.

We are looking forward to meeting you in class!

Do you want to get free resources and materials for learning Spanish?

Irregular “Yo” Forms

If a verb has an irregular yo form in the present indicative, the subjunctive uses that irregular stem:

Infinitive	Yo Form	Subjunctive Stem	Example Forms
tener	tengo	teng-	tenga, tengas, tenga…
poner	pongo	pong-	ponga, pongas, ponga…
salir	salgo	salg-	salga, salgas, salga…
venir	vengo	veng-	venga, vengas, venga…
hacer	hago	hag-	haga, hagas, haga…
decir	digo	dig-	diga, digas, diga…
oír	oigo	oig-	oiga, oigas, oiga…
conocer	conozco	conozc-	conozca, conozcas, conozca…

Totally Irregular Verbs

Some verbs are completely irregular in the present subjunctive and must be memorized:

Verb	Present Subjunctive
ser	sea, seas, sea, seamos, seáis, sean
ir	vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan
saber	sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepáis, sepan
estar	esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, estén
dar	dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den

Summary Chart

Verb Type	Ending Changes	Example
–AR	e, es, e, emos, éis, en	hablar → hable
–ER / –IR	a, as, a, amos, áis, an	comer → coma / vivir → viva
Irregular yo	keep irregular stem	tener → tenga
Spelling change	keep pronunciation	buscar → busque
Stem-changing	follow same pattern as present	pensar → piense / dormir → duerma
Totally irregular	memorize	ser → sea / ir → vaya

Key Takeaway: Forming the present subjunctive in Spanish is systematic. Start from the yo form, remove the –o, and add the opposite endings, keeping in mind spelling and stem changes. Once you master this pattern, you can confidently conjugate almost any Spanish verb.

CHECK OUT OUR LIVE ONLINE SPANISH COURSES

Study Spanish anywhere with native teachers and meet interesting people from all over the world

FIND OUT MORE

Who wrote this post?

Small school,
big learning.

We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.

In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while 🙂

The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Our team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we came back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.

It is a small local business. We work with small groups because we like to get to know all our students and design personalized lessons.

We are looking forward to meeting you in class!

Why should I take an online Spanish course?

Online classes are as fun as face-to-face classes but with the added benefits of online learning: