Sequence of Tenses With the Subjunctive
The tense of the main verb decides which subjunctive follows: Quero que veñas (I want you to come) but Quería que viñeses (I wanted you to come).
How It Works
The basic pairs
- Present: Pídolle que agarde (I am asking him to wait).
- Future: Pedireille que agarde (I will ask him to wait).
- Preterite: Pedinlle que agardase (I asked him to wait).
- Imperfect: Pedíalle que agardase (I used to ask him to wait).
- Conditional: Pediríalle que agardase (I would ask him to wait).
When the subordinate event is past
With a present main verb, the imperfect subjunctive places the event in the past: Non creo que chegase onte (I do not think he arrived yesterday), Espero que chegases ben (I hope you got home safely), Alégrome de que viñeses (I am glad you came). Galician has no compound subjunctive, so this is how it says what Spanish expresses with haya llegado.
Where it applies
- Wishes and requests: querer que, pedir que.
- Doubt and feelings: non creo que, alegrarse de que.
- Purpose: para que. Faleille amodo para que me entendese.
- Relative clauses about something not yet found: Buscaban un piso que tivese terraza.
Dicir que: order or report
With dicir que, the subjunctive turns a report into an order: Díxome que viñese (he told me to come) versus Díxome que viña (he told me he was coming).
The exception: como se
Como se always takes the imperfect subjunctive, even after a present verb.
A way around it
After a preposition, the personal infinitive has no tense, so it needs no matching: Chamei para virdes = Chamei para que viñésedes.
Examples (6)
- Quería que viñeses comigo ao médico.
I wanted you to come with me to the doctor.
Quería is past, so the subjunctive is viñeses. In the present it would be Quero que veñas.
- Pediulle que agardase na porta.
She asked him to wait at the door.
Pediu is a preterite, so agardar becomes agardase.
- Díxenlles que non tocasen nada.
I told them not to touch anything.
Dicir que + subjunctive gives an order. Tocasen is the imperfect subjunctive of tocar.
- Buscaban un piso que tivese terraza.
They were looking for a flat that had a terrace.
They had not found it yet, so the relative clause is in the subjunctive, matched to the past buscaban.
- Non creo que o fixese el.
I do not think he did it.
The main verb is present, but the doubted event is past, so the imperfect subjunctive fixese is used.
- Espero que chegases ben á casa.
I hope you got home safely.
A present hope about a past event takes the imperfect subjunctive.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the present subjunctive after a past main verb.
Quería que veñas comigo.Quería que viñeses comigo.A past main verb calls for the imperfect subjunctive.
Building a compound subjunctive with haber.
Non creo que o haxa feito el.Non creo que o fixese el.Galician has no compound subjunctive. Use the imperfect subjunctive for a past event.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The tense of the main verb and the time of the event help select the dependent subjunctive tense.
Related Patterns
- Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs
The form used after present, future and imperative main verbs.
Level 3 - querer que + SubjunctiveWanting Someone to Do Something
Wishes and requests, the most common place where tenses must match.
Level 3 - Tense Changes in Reported Speech
The matching tense changes in reported speech.
Level 5 - dicir queReported Statements
Dicir que + subjunctive reports an order rather than a statement.
Level 3 - Subjunctive in Relative Clauses
Relative clauses such as un piso que tivese terraza.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Sequence of Tenses With the Subjunctive in Bubblegum
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