Irregular Present Subjunctive
A few very common verbs have their own subjunctive stem.
How It Works
These subjunctive forms do not look like the present, so each one has to be learned. The four most common verbs are in this table.
| Person | èsser | aver | anar | far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ieu | siá | aja | ane | faga |
| tu | siás | ajas | anes | fagas |
| el, ela | siá | aja | ane | faga |
| nosautres | siam | ajam | anem | fagam |
| vosautres | siatz | ajatz | anetz | fagatz |
| eles, elas | sián | ajan | anen | fagan |
| Verb | ieu | nosautres |
|---|---|---|
| dire | diga | digam |
| venir | venga | vengam |
| veire | veja | vejam |
| dever | dega | degam |
| prene | prenga | prengam |
| voler | vòlga | volgam |
| poder | pòsca | poscam |
| saber | sàpia | sapiam |
Voler, poder and saber also change their vowel. The stressed forms have ò or à (vòlga, pòsca, sàpia), and the forms for nosautres and vosautres do not (volgam, poscam, sapiam).
Examples (5)
- Vòli que siás content.
I want you to be happy.
Siás: the subjunctive of èsser, not ès.
- Cal que anem a l'escòla.
We have to go to school.
Anem: anar has the subjunctive stem an- and the -e endings.
- Ma maire vòl que fagas la cosina.
My mother wants you to do the cooking.
Fagas: the subjunctive stem of far is fag-.
- Cal que sapiatz la responsa.
You have to know the answer.
Sapiatz: saber has the stem sapi- in the subjunctive.
- Volèm que Joan venga deman.
We want Joan to come tomorrow.
Venga: venir has the subjunctive stem veng-.
Common Mistakes
Using the present indicative of anar after cal que
Cal que vas a l'escòla.Cal que anes a l'escòla.Vas is the present indicative. After cal que, anar becomes anes.
Using the present indicative of èsser after cal que
Cal que sèm aicí a sièis oras.Cal que siam aicí a sièis oras.Sèm is the present indicative. The subjunctive of èsser is siam.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The irregular subjunctive stems follow the regular ones and belong to common irregular verbs, so the regular subjunctive and voler, poder and saber come first.
- Present Subjunctive of -ir and -re Verbs
Know the regular subjunctive, because the irregular verbs use its endings on a new stem: que parle, que faga.
Level 5 - poder, voler, saber, dever + InfinitiveVerbs Followed by an Infinitive
Know voler, poder and saber with an infinitive, because vòlga, pòsca and sàpia are their subjunctive stems: Cal que sapiatz la responsa.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- Present Subjunctive of -ar Verbs
The regular -ar verbs follow one pattern, unlike these verbs.
Level 5 - Subjunctive After voler que
Voler que needs these forms to say what you want someone else to do.
Level 5 - Subjunctive After cal que
Cal que also needs them.
Level 5 - Present of èsser
Compare siá with the present soi, ès, es.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Irregular Present Subjunctive in Bubblegum
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