Subjunctive (Imperfect)

Question 1

Expressing past hopes, desires, wishes. This is also used to express hypotheticals, both in the present or past. This second part can be confusing, see Tip 2 below.

Past Hopes:
* It was necessary that he be there
* They asked that we be on time

Hypotheticals:
* I would work if it weren’t hot
* If I were you, I wouldn’t do it

Tip:
This tense is commonly used in conversation after “if” specifically for hypotheticals.

Tip 2:
A hope or wish is Subjunctive Present if it’s a real possibility, but if it’s hypothetical then it is Subjunctive Imperfect.
Example of Subjunctive Present:
“I hope we are on vacation soon”
Example of Subjunctive Imperfect
“I wish we were on vacation right now”
The second is a hypothetical and thus this tense.

Question 2

Ser

• Si yo fuera el presidente, cambiaría muchas cosas
• Si tu fueras más puntual, no tendrías tantos problema
• Ella deseaba que él fuera su compañero de trabajo
• Si nosotros fuéramos ricos, viajaríamos por todo el mundo
• Esperaban que ellos fueran los mejores en el torneo

Answer 2

• If I were the president, I would change many things
• If you were more punctual, you wouldn’t have so many problems
• She wished that he were her coworker
• If we were rich, we would travel around the world
• They hoped that the the best in the tournament

Question 3

Estar

• Si yo estuviera en tu lugar, haría lo mismo
• Me alegraría si tú estuvieras aquí conmigo.
• Dudaba que él estuviera en la reunión
• Ojalá que nosotros estuviéramos de vacaciones
• Sería genial si ellos estuvieran de acuerdo

Answer 3

• If I were at your place, I would do the same
• I would be happy if you were here with me
• I doubted that he was at the meeting
• I wish we were on vacation
• It would be great if they were in agreement

Question 4

Tener

• Yo tuviera más tiempo
• Tú tuvieras dinero
• Él tuviera más tiempo, viajaría más
• Nosotros tuviéramos suerte, ganaríamos
• Ellos tuvieran ayuda, terminarían pronto

Answer 4

• If I had more time
• If you had money
• If he had more time, he would travel more
• If we had luck, we would win
• If they had help, they would finish soon