Imperfect subjunctive: yo trabajara / yo trabajase...

What this tense is (pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Use it when a past verb “pulls” the subjunctive into the past.

• It expresses a non-fact (wish, request, doubt, emotion, hypothesis) seen from a past context.
• It often corresponds to English: that I/you/he… did / were doing / would… depending on the structure.

The key idea: “past trigger” + que + imperfect subjunctive

When the main verb is in the past, Spanish typically uses imperfect subjunctive after que:

• Shortcut: if you can say “I wanted/asked/didn’t think/it surprised me that…”, you will often need this form after que.

How to form it fast (the -ra and -se versions)

Recipe: take the ellos/ellas form of pretérito indefinido and remove -ron. Then add endings.

• llamaron → llama- → llamara / llamase
• supieron → supie- → supiera / supiese
• vinieron → vinie- → viniera / viniese

-ra vs -se: which one should you use?

• Meaning is the same. They are interchangeable in modern Spanish.
• In conversation, the -ra forms are more common.
• Pick one and be consistent while you build fluency (this course often practices -ra).

The “nosotros” accent: don’t miss it

In nosotros/as, the vowel before -ramos / -semos always has an accent mark:

• hablar → hablaron → habla- → habláramos / hablásemos
• tener → tuvieron → tuvie- → tuviéramos / tuviésemos
• reiniciar → reiniciaron → reinicia- → reiniciáramos / reiniciásemos

Self-check: if it’s nosotros and you see -ramos / -semos without an accent, it’s probably wrong.

Two high-frequency uses you’ll meet all the time

1. 1) Reported requests / expectations (past)

   • Nos pidió que reiniciáramos el ordenador.
   • El jefe quería que supiéramos usar la herramienta.

2. 2) Hypotheses with “si” (unreal / unlikely now)

   • Si la app viniera con un tutorial, la usaríamos más.
   • Si supiéramos la contraseña, podríamos sincronizar los archivos.

   Pattern: Si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional.

Common mistakes (and what to do instead)

Quick self-check before you answer

1. Do I have a trigger? (wanted/asked/doubted/it surprised me…)
2. Is the trigger in the past? (pidió, quería, dudaba, me sorprendió…)
3. Then: use que + imperfect subjunctive.
4. For “si” hypotheses: si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional.
5. Nosotros form: check the accent (reiniciáramos, supiéramos).