The present subjunctive - irregular verbs: cierre, pida, agradezca...

1. When do we use this type of subjunctive?

• Here you practise the present subjunctive of verbs like cerrar, agradecer, pedir.
• In this unit it appears mainly after expressions such as:

• Quiero que … (I want …)
• Es importante que … (It is important that …)
• Te pido que … (I ask you to …)
• Espero que … (I hope that …)

We use it when there is:

• a different subject in the second part (yo quiero que tú cierres), and
• a desire, request, order, recommendation or reaction, not a simple fact.

2. Key idea: start from the “yo” form

For most verbs, the present subjunctive is formed in three steps:

1. Take the present “yo” form of the indicative.
   • yo cierro, yo agradezco, yo pido, yo tengo, yo hago
2. Remove the final -o.
   • cierra‑, agradezc‑, pid‑, teng‑, hag‑
3. Add the subjunctive endings.

Self-check: Can you form tenga, hagas, vivamos from tengo, haces, vivo with this method?

3. Irregular stems: repeat the present irregularity

Many verbs have an irregular “yo” in the present indicative. That irregularity is kept in the subjunctive stem.

• Rule: If the yo is irregular, the subjunctive uses that same irregular stem for all persons.

Example:

• tener → yo tengo → teng‑ + endings → tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengáis, tengan

Self-check: How would you say “It is important that they do it” with hacer? → Es importante que ellos lo hagan.

4. Stem-changing verbs: e→ie, o→ue, e→i

Some verbs change the vowel in the stem (like in the present indicative). For the subjunctive, remember:

• e → ie: cerrar → cierre
• o → ue: volver → vuelva
• e → i: pedir → pida

Important detail:

• For e→ie and o→ue, there is no stem change in nosotros / vosotros.

For many e→i verbs like pedir, the change appears in all persons, also in nosotros / vosotros:

• pedir → yo pido → pid‑

Self-check: Can you spot the two forms without stem change for cerrar? → cerremos, cerréis.

5. Completely irregular verbs to memorise

Some very frequent verbs have their own special subjunctive forms. Learn them as a block.

• These forms are used constantly in real conversations.
• It is worth repeating them aloud until they feel automatic.

Mini-practice:

• Es importante que tú seas sincero.
• Quiero que ellos vayan a la reunión.

6. Typical mistakes to avoid

• Using the indicative instead of the subjunctive after certain expressions:

• Forgetting the stem change where it is needed:

• Adding stem change in nosotros / vosotros where it should disappear (for e→ie, o→ue):

7. Quick step-by-step checklist

Use this mini-procedure every time you form the present subjunctive.

1. Do I really need the subjunctive?
   • Is there a verb of desire / request / reaction? (quiero que, es importante que, te pido que, espero que…)
   • Is the subject different in the second part? (yo vs tú / él / ellos)
2. Find the present “yo” form.
   • Example: agradecer → yo agradezco
3. Remove -o and add subjunctive endings.
   • agradezc‑ → agradezca, agradezcas, …
4. Check for stem changes.
   • Is it e→ie, o→ue? Then no change in nosotros / vosotros.
   • Is it e→i (like pedir)? Then change in all persons.
5. Is it one of the four fully irregular verbs?
   • Use the memorised forms of ser, ir, estar, dar if needed.

If you follow these steps slowly at first, the forms will soon become automatic in conversation.