We use El Imperfecto Subjuntivo in some subordinate clauses and in particularly polite requests.
Rather unusually, this tense has two conjugation forms. Take a look at haber conjugated in El Imperfecto Subjuntivo:
| yo | hubiera |
| tú | hubieras |
| él / ella / Ud. | hubiera |
| nosotros | hubiéramos |
| vosotros | hubierais |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | hubieran |
| yo | hubiese |
| tú | hubieses |
| él / ella / Ud. | hubiese |
| nosotros | hubiésemos |
| vosotros | hubieseis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | hubiesen |
Note that in El Imperfecto Subjuntivo, only the impersonal third person form hubiera/hubiese is ever used on its own.
Read and listen to these examples:
No creía que hubiera elecciones tan pronto.
I didn't think that there were elections so soon.
Tal vez no hubiera tantos problemas.
Maybe there were not so many problems.
Ojalá hubiera paz en el mundo.
I wish there were peace in the world.
Quizás hubiese actores muy guapos en la ciudad.
Maybe there were some very handsome actors in the city.
Tal vez no hubiese un huracán tan fuerte.
Maybe there wasn't such a strong hurricane.
Sería mejor que hubiese menos gente en el concierto.
It would be better if there were less people at the concert.
The full set of six forms is used with past participles of a second verb to form another tense: El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo. For example:
Se comportaba como si hubiese bebido demasiado.
He was behaving as if he had drunk too much.
Read more about El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo.
See also:
Sería mejor que hubiese menos gente en el concierto.
It would be better if there were less people at the concert.
Quizás hubiese actores muy guapos en la ciudad.
Maybe there were some very handsome actors in the city.
Ojalá hubiera paz en el mundo.
I wish there were peace in the world.
Se comportaba como si hubiese bebido demasiado.
He was behaving as if he had drunk too much.
No creía que hubiera elecciones tan pronto.
I didn't think that there were elections so soon.
Tal vez no hubiese un huracán tan fuerte.
Maybe there wasn't such a strong hurricane.
Tal vez no hubiera tantos problemas.
Maybe there were not so many problems.
In your example of the
El Imperfecto de Subjuntivo
You're using the verb haber ie
Hubiera hubiese etc
So what's the preterito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo?
I thought that was
hubiera hubiese
I thought el imperfecto de subjuntivo was the past subjuntivo ie
Tuviera
Fuera
Pusiera
Etc
Hola Sandra,
El imperfecto de Subjuntivo of the verb haber is:
The same goes for tuviera/tuviese, quisiera, quisiese, pudiera/pudiese, hablara/hablase, etc...
What might be a bit confusing is that El Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo of any verb is going to contain the forms hubiera or hubiese, because El Pluscuamperfecto is a perfect tense, therefore it's going to use haber + the participle of any verb, for example:
hubiera hablado
hubieses venido
hubieran cantado
In the lesson about the verb haber in El Imperfecto de Subjuntivo, you will only find sentences using hubiera/hubiese as an impersonal verb (there was/there were), not combined with any participle, because that would then be El pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo.
There is a TIP inside the lesson pointing out this difference.
I hope this clarified it for you.
Saludos
Inma
In your example of the
El Imperfecto de Subjuntivo
You're using the verb haber ie
Hubiera hubiese etc
So what's the preterito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo?
I thought that was
hubiera hubiese
I thought el imperfecto de subjuntivo was the past subjuntivo ie
Tuviera
Fuera
Pusiera
Etc
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