Chapter 8 Identifying Verb Moods In This Chapter Issuing commands Understanding the present subjunctive Speculating with the present perfect subjunctive Using the conditional ]: other chapters In this book, we cover verb tenses (past, present, future, and so on). In this chapter, we explain dif- ferent moods of verbs. No, we don't mean angry or excited verbs. A verb's mood reflects the subject's attitude toward what the verb expresses. Moods come in four flavors: The indicative mood, the most commonly used, states a fact and requires the present, past, or future tense. (See Chapters 3, 6, and 7 for more on these tenses.) 1 The imperative mood requires a command. i The subjunctive is a mood that shows wishing, want- ing, emotion, need, or doubt (among other things) and requires special verb forms. The conditional mood indicates what would happen under certain circumstances. In this chapter, we focus on commands, the present and pres- ent perfect subjunctive, and the conditional moads.Giving Commands with the Imperative Mood @ When you tell a waiter to bring you water, ask a dinner guest to please pass the salt, or tell your dog to lie dawn, you're using the imperative mood. You're giving a command — telling someone, or sometimes yourself, to do something. In most cases, you bark out commands in the you form, but remember that in Spanish you can mean any of four different yous. With the imperative, you can also give what Is called a Ter's command, as in, “Let’s go to the movie.” This less asser- tive form of the imperative takes the nosotros form. Forming commands with Ud. and Uds. When forming the formal you singular, that is, the usted (Ud.), commands in the affirmative and the negative forms, you drop: the -o ending of the yo form, and add an -e for -ar verbs or an -a for -er and -ir verbs. Here are a few examples: jHable! (Speak!) No hable! (Don’t speak!) Coma! (Eat!) Ne coma! (Don't eat!) jEseribal (Write!) jNo eseriba! (Don't write!) Spanish has only the following three irregular usted commands: Infinitive Positive Command —_‘ Negative Command ir Vaya! (Go!) iNo vaya! (Don't go) saber iSepa! (Know!) iNo sepa! (Don't know!) ser Seal (Be!) No seal (Don't be!) ‘The verbs dar (to give) and estar (to be) add accents in the following formal command forms to maintain proper stress: dar: jDé (Ud)! (Give!) estar: jEsté (Ud)! (Be!) jEstén (Uds.)! (Give!)When forming the formal, plural you or ustedes (Uds.) com- mands, you simply add an -n to the Ud. command form. This rule applies for the regular and irregular verbs, as shown in the following examples: Hablen. (Speak!) jNo coman! (Don't eat!) Escribam. (Write!) jNo sean tontos! (Don't be foolish!) Forming commands with tu and vosotres ‘You can form positive td commands by dropping the -s from the present tense ti forms of regular -ar, -er, or -ir verbs: 1 Hablas (you speak) becomes jHabla! (Speak!) 1 Comes (you eat) becomes jCome! (Eat!) Escribes (you write) becomes jEscribe! (Write!) You can form negative ti commands by taking the -o off of the present-tense yo form and adding -es for regular -ar verbs and -as for regular -er and -ir verbs: = Hablo (/ speak) becomes jNo hables! (Don! speak!) 1 Como (I eat) becomes jNo comas! (Dont eat!) Escribo (J write) becomes {No escribas! (Don't write!) Spanish also includes some irregular ti form commands. Table 8-1 shows the positive and negative forms of the most ‘common irregular ta form commands. Table 8-1 Irregular Ta Form Commands decir (to say, tell) Di No digas hacer (todo,make) Haz No hagas ir (to go) Ve No vayas: feontinued!Table 8-1 (continued) poner (to put) Pon No pongas: salir (ta leave) Sal No salgas ser (to be) Sé No seas tener (to have) Ten Notengas. venir (to come) Ven No vengas Here is an example: jNo tengas miedo sino que ten culdado! (Dont be afraid, but be careful!) When forming the positive, informal, plural you or vosotros commands for regular verbs, you drop the -¥ from the infin tive form and add 1, as you can see in the following examples: jHablad! (Speak!) jComed! (Eat!) iEseribid! (Write!) When forming the negative vosotros commands, you simply drop the -o from the present-tense ye form and add -¢is for -ar verbs or Ais for er and -ir verbs, as follows: iNo habléis! (Don’t speak!) iNo coméis! (Don't eat!) iNo escribéis! (Don't write!) ‘The same three verbs are irregular in the negative vosotros command forms as in the usted forms. They are Infinitive Negative Command ir jNo vaydis! (Don't go!) saber No sepais .. . (Don't know...) ser Na sedis... (Don't be...) Dar (to give) drops the accent in the negative vosotres com- mand: ;No deis! (Don? give!)Forming the let’s command The nosotros-form commands, or the let's commands, enable you to make suggestions to your friends or to a group of people (including yourself) about what you want to do. When forming these commands, take the -0 off of the present-tense yo form of the verb and add -emos for -ar verbs or -amos for -er and -ir verbs. You simply put no in front of the verb to make a negative let's command. Some examples follow in Table 8-2. Table 8-2 Let's Commands with Regular Verbs Infinitive (Ending) Positive Command Negative Command hablar (-ar) (to speak) ~~ Hablemos. (No hablemos. comer (-er) (io eat) Comames. ‘No comamos. } fea write) _ Escribamos. No escribamos. For example: iNo hablemos! jComamos! (Let's nor speak! Let's eat!) ‘The three verbs in Table 8-3 are irregular in the nesotros com- mand form, both in their affirmative and the negative formations. Note that ir is different in its affirmative and negative forms. Table 8-3 Let's Commands with Irregular Verbs Infinitive Positive Command —_ Negative Command ir fto go) Vamos. No vayamas. saber (to know) Sepamos. No sepamos. ser (to be) Seamos. No seamos. An example follows: jNo vayamos al parque! jVamos al cine! (Let's not go to the park! Let's go to the movies!)Forming the Present Subjunctive So, you're unfamiliar with the subjunctive. We're not at all surprised — it’s not that commonly discussed in English. It Indicates how the speaker feels about or perceives a situation. rather than when an action occurred. In this section, you dis- cover how to form the present subjunctive (which we some- times refer to here as just “the subjunctive”) of regular verbs, verbs with spelling changes, verbs with stem changes, and completely irregular verbs. Creating the present subjunctive of regular verbs You form the present subjunctive of regular verbs by drop- ping the -o from the yo form of the present tense and adding the subjunctive endings shown in bold in Table 8-4, These endings are relatively easy to remember, because -ar verbs. (such as hablar) use the present-tense endings of -er verbs, and -er (comprender) and -ir (escribir) verbs use the present- tense endings of -ar verbs. This switch is why people say that you form the present subjunctive by using the opposite verb endings on the stem. Table 8-4 The Present Subjunctive Endings of Regular Verbs -ar verbs -er verbs ir verbs yoformef hable//speak) comprende (i —escribe (I write) present understand) tense yo hable comprenda escriba ti hables comprendas —_escribas él ella, Ud. _hable comprenda escriba nosotros hablemos comprendamos esc: vosotros habléis comprendais allos,allas, hablen comprendan —escribanHere are some examples of these verbs in the subjunctive: Es importante que yo hable con sus padres. (Ii is impor- tant that I speak to your parents.) Es esencial que Ud. las reglas. (it is essential that you understand the rules.) Es necesario que nosotros escribamos las notas. (i is necessary that we write the notes.) Working with verbs irregular in the yo form Some verbs are irregular in the yo form of the present tense. ‘These verbs use the stem of the ye to form the present sub- junetive. You drop the final <0 from the yo form and add the ‘opposite endings. In other words, you add an ending that starts with -a for the -er and -ir verbs listed in Table 85. Table 8-5 Subjunctive Stems Derived from the Present-Tense yo Form Verb yoForm — Subjunctive Forms veaber (to fit) quepa, quepas, quepa, quepames, quepéis, quepan ‘caer (to fall) caiga, caigas, caiga, caigamos, caigais, caigan decir diga, digas, diga, digamos, digais, {to say, to tell) digan_ Had 8 aaa haga, hagas, haga, hagamos, hagais, hagan ciga, oigas, oiga, oigamos, oigai cigan ponga, pongas, ponga, pangamas, pongais, pongan salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgais, salgan tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengais, tengan (continued)Table 8-5 (continued) Verb yoform — Subjunetive Forms waer (to bring) waigo ‘waiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigais, traigan valer valgo valga, valgas, valga, valgamos, valgais, (to be worth) valgan venir (tocome) venga venga, vengas, venga, vengamos, vengais, vengan ver (to see) veo vea, veas, vea, Veames, veais, vean Here are some examples of these types of verbs: Es imposible que todo quepa en mi maleta. (Jr's impos- sible that everything will fit in my suitcase.) Es urgente que Uds. hagan todo este trabajo ahora. (ir is urgent that you do all this work now.) Tackling verbs with spelling changes Some Spanish verbs have the same spelling change in the present subjunctive as they have In the present tense. Namely, verbs ending in -cer/-clr, -ger/-gir, and -guir (not -air) undergo the same changes that occur In the yo form of the present. These changes are as follows: vowel + -cer/-cir verbs: ¢ = ze consonant + -cer /-cir verbs: c + z -ger/-gir verbs: g > J -guir verbs: gu > ¢ ‘Use the regular subjunctive ending after making the spelling changes shown In Table 8-6.w, Table 8-6 Present Subjunctive of Verbs with Spelling Changes Infinitive Present yoForm Stem olrecer (co offer)! ofrezco ofrezc- taducir (to transiate) traduzco traduzc: convencer (ia convince) ‘convenza conver esparcir (to spread) esparzo, esparz- escager (to. choose) escojo escoj- exigir (to demand) exijo exij- distinguir (to distinguish) distingo disting- ‘The following examples Illustrate these spelling changes: Es una lastima que el director no le ofrezca un aumento de salarto. (It is a pity that the director isn't offering him a raise) Es natural que el jefe exija mucho de sus empleados. (it is natural that the boss demands a lot from his employees.) You see some different spelling changes for verbs in the pres- ent subjunctive than you see for verbs with spelling changes in the present tense. In the present subjunctive, verbs ending in-ear, -gar, and -zar undergo changes. They have the same changes as in the preterit (or the past tense; see Chapter 6). These changes are as follows: i -car verbs: c+ qu -gar verbs: g > gu = -zar verbs: z+ The following table (and examples) show the full conjugation: Infinitive Stem Subjunctive Endings locar (to touch} toque -€, -e8, -€, -emas, is, en. Pagar (to pay) pagu- +@, -28, -€, cmos, -4is, en organizar organic: —_-e, -es, -e, -emos, ¢is, en (to organize}Here are some examples: Es importante que no toques nada. (it is important that you not touch anything. ) Es imperative que nosotros paguemos esta factura. (It is imperative that we pay this bill) Es necesario que 1 organice los datos. (If is necessary for him to organize the data.) Coping with stem changes Just like in the present tense, stem-changing -ar and-er verbs in the present subjunctive undergo changes in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. Table 8-7 outlines these changes. Table 8-7 Verbs with Stem Changes in the Present Subjunctive Infinitive Stem = Example yo, tui, ‘nasatros/ Ending Change Verb 61, ellos vosotras in the Subjunctive — Subjunctive Present Stem Stem -ar e—ie cerrar sierr- cerr- (to close) -ar o-—ue mostrar =—muestr- mostr- (ta show) “er esie querer quier- quer- (to wish, te want} -er ous volver vuely- wolv- {ta return) Here are two example sentences with these verbs: Quiero que Ud. cierre la ventana. (/ want you fo close the window.) Es dudoso que ellos vuelvan temprano. (it is doubtful that they will return early.) And what about ir verbs? Well, -ir verbs with e Sle and 0 3 ue stem changes make those same changes in all forms exceptnosotros and vosotres. The nosotros and vosotros forms change e to i and o to u, respectively. Those with an e — 1 stem change use f instead of e in all forms including nosotros and vesotros, as shown in Table 8-8. Table 8-8 Certain -ir Verbs with Present Subjunctive Stem Changes Infinitive ‘Stem ‘Sten nosotres and Change preferir (to prefer! e—>ie _pretier- dormir (to sleep) o> we —_ duerm servir (to. serve) e- sirv- Here are some examples of 4r verbs in the subjunctive: La profesora est4 contenta que nosotros prefirames ver una pelicula espanola. (The teacher is happy that we prefer to see a Spanish fitm_) Su padre esta enojade que él duerma hasta las diez. (His father is angry that he sleeps until ten o'clock} Es dudoso que sirvan vino en la conferencia. (it is dowbr- ful that they will serve wine at the conference.) ‘The changes don’t end with simple -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, how- ever. Note the stem changes for the following categories of verbs that end with an additional vow \ Verbs that end in lar have accent marks in all present subjunctive forms except nosotros: enviar (fo send): envie, envies, envie, enviemos. enviéis, envien \ Verbs that end in -uar have accent marks in all present subjunctive forms except nosotros: continuar (to continue): continte, continges, continge, continuemos, continuéis, contingen Verbs that end in -uir (but not-guir) add ay after the u in all present subjunctive forms: conelulr (to conclude): concluya, concluyas, concluya, coneluyamos, concluydis, concluyanThe following examples show these rules in action: Es importante que Ud. envie este paquete inmediata- mente. (it is important that you send this package immediately.) Me enfada que Ud. no continge estudiando espanol. (I'm annoyed that you don't continue to study Spanish.) El profesor desea que los estudiantes concluyan su trabalo. (The teacher wants the students to complete their work.) Understanding verbs with both spelling and stem changes Some very common Spanish verbs have both spelling and stem changes in the present subjunctive form, as shown in Table 8-9. Table 8-9 Spelling and Stem Changes in the Present Subjunctive Verb Spelling Stem Change eolgar (to hang) = g— gu o>ue jugar (to play) s>gu 0 uSue {to begin) fto eat lunch)‘The following examples show these changes in action: Maria esta contenta de que sus perros jueguen en el Jardin. (Marfa is happy that her dogs play in the backyard.) Estoy encantada que el espectaculo empiece ahora. (I am delighted that the show will begin now.) La madre no permite que sus hijos almuercen en la sala. (The mother doesnt permit her children to eat lunch in the living room.) Conjugating irregular verbs Some verbs are completely irregular in the subjunctive mood, which means you can’t follow any rules or patterns to form them. You can do nothing else but memorize them. Table 8-10 presents these verbs. Table 8-10 Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive ar (to give) dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den estar (to be) esté, estés, esté, estemos, estéis, esten ir (to go) vaya, vayas, vaya. vayames, vayais, vayan. saber (to know) ‘sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepais, sepan ser (tobe) sea, seas, sea, seamos, seais, sean Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the subjunctive: Estamos tristes que tu abuela esté enferma. (We are sad that your grandmother is sick) Yo dudo que él sepa reparar la computadora. (1 doubt that he knows how 10 repair the computer.)