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8.20 THE PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE: Irregular Verbs
There are a few very common verbs that have irregular conjugations in the present subjunctive. Let’s take a look at the way the endings of these words change to form the present subjunctive.
Ir –> vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayan
To go
Venir –> venga, vengas, venga, vengamos, vengan
To come
Poner –> ponga, pongas, ponga, pongamos, pongan
To put
Saber –> sepa, sepas, sepa, sepamos, sepan
To know
Conocer –> conozca, conozcas, conozca, conozcamos, conozcan
To know, be acquainted with
Tener –> tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengan
To have
Haber –> haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayan
Dar –> dé, des, dé, demos, den
To give
Ser –> sea, seas, sea, seamos, sean
To be
Estar –> esté, estés, esté, estemos, estén
To be
Salir –> salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgan
To leave
Let’s look at a few examples to get a feel for how they are used:
Es mejor que vayas ahora mismo – It is better that you go right now
Me alegro que vengan mañana - I am glad they are coming tomorrow
Espero que salgamos temprano – I hope we leave early
Dudo que usted haya ganado el premio – I doubt you have won the prize
No creo que tengamos tiempo – I don’t believe we have time
No pienso que sea la mejor forma de hacerlo – I don’t think it’s the best way to do it
Esperamos que nos den regalos en la fiesta – We hope they give us presents at the party
Some more tips on when to use the subjunctive form
The subjuctive form of verbs is always used after ‘para que’ – ‘in order to’ in a sentence:
Mi mamá trabaja mucho para que yo tenga más oportunidades – My mom works alot so that I have more opportunities
Salgamos temprano para que tengamos más tiempo de estudiar – Let's leave early in order to have more time to study