-iese/-ieses/-iese/-iésemos/-ieseis/-iesen

Imperfect Subjunctive -ER/-IR (-se)

Level 4

The -se forms (-iese, -ieses, etc.) offer an alternative to the -ra forms (-iera, -ieras, etc.) for the imperfect subjunctive of -ER and -IR verbs. They share the same stem derived from the 3rd person plural preterite.

How It Works

Spanish features two parallel sets of endings for the imperfect subjunctive: the -ra forms and the -se forms.

1. Conjugation Pattern:
For -ER and -IR verbs, take the 3rd person plural preterite form (e.g., volvieron, escribieron, dijeron), remove -ron, and add the -se endings:

  • yo comiese
  • tú comieses
  • él/ella/usted comiese
  • nosotros/nosotras comiésemos
  • vosotros/vosotras comieseis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes comiesen

2. Usage and Register:
While both sets of endings are standard and interchangeable in ordinary subjunctive uses, -iera forms are much more frequent in modern spoken Spanish. The -se forms also occur in conversation; their frequency varies by region and register.

3. Important Distinction:
While quisiera or pudiera can replace conditional forms for polite requests (e.g., Quisiera un café), the -se forms (quisiese, pudiese) are generally not used for polite requests in modern Spanish.

Follow the Actual Preterite Base
Comieron gives comie- + -se → comiese. Dijeron gives dije- + -se → dijese, not dijiese. Leyeron gives leye- + -se → leyese. Do not force -iese onto every irregular stem. Common vos uses comieses, like tú.

Limits of the Alternation
Quisiera is the conventional choice for a softened independent request. Uses of -ra that replace indicative in literary narration are also not automatically transferable to -se. This does not make -se an inferior or generally incorrect alternative in its ordinary subjunctive constructions.

Examples (4)

  1. El profesor quería que los estudiantes leyesen el artículo entero.

    The professor wanted the students to read the whole article.

    Word by Word: The professor wanted that the students read the article whole.

    Formed from 'leyeron' -> 'leyesen'. Expresses past desire in a formal academic context.

  2. Si tuviésemos más tiempo, visitaríamos el museo de arte.

    If we had more time, we would visit the art museum.

    Word by Word: If we had more time, we would visit the museum of art.

    Formed from 'tuvieron' -> 'tuviésemos'. Used in a hypothetical si clause.

  3. Dudaba que ellos moviesen la fecha de la reunión.

    I doubted that they would move the date of the meeting.

    Word by Word: I doubted that they moved the date of the meeting.

    Formed from 'movieron' -> 'moviesen'. Expresses doubt in the past.

  4. Era necesario que saliesen temprano para evitar el tráfico.

    It was necessary for them to leave early to avoid traffic.

    Word by Word: It was necessary that they left early for to avoid the traffic.

    Formed from 'salieron' -> 'saliesen'. Used after an impersonal expression of past necessity.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding an extra i to the j-stem imperfect subjunctive.

    Quería que ella dijiese la verdad.
    Quería que ella dijese la verdad.

    Start from dijeron, remove -ron to get dije-, and add -se: dijese. Do not add -iese to dij-; j-stem forms lack that extra i.

  • Omitting the accent mark on the nosotros form.

    Si comiesemos juntos, sería muy divertido.
    Si comiésemos juntos, sería muy divertido.

    The nosotros form in the imperfect subjunctive always carries a written accent on the vowel immediately before -semos (e.g., comiésemos, viviésemos).