¡Quién pudiera vivir viajando! The pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo

The subjunctive mood, as we saw in this article, refers to the unreal, the hypothetical, wishes, etc., and the pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo is no exception. Furthermore, as we will see, although it is a preterite tense, it can refer, in addition to the past, to the present and even the future. This is because certain grammatical constructions require the use of the pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo regardless of whether they refer to the past.

Subordinate clauses with main verb in a past tense.

When the verb of the main clause is in a past tense (pretérito indefinido, imperfecto o pluscuamperfecto), and the subordinate clause requires subjunctive, we must use the pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo.

Examples:

Mi madre quería que yo estudiara medicina (My mother wanted me to study medicine). (She wanted this in the past).

Te pedí que vinieras temprano (I asked you to come early). (The request occurred in the past).

No creía que fuera tan difícil (I didn’t believe it was so difficult). (The belief was in the past).

Me sorprendió que dijeras eso (It surprised me that you said that). (The surprise was in the past).

Esperábamos que hiciera buen tiempo (We hoped the weather would be good). (The hope existed in the past).

Conditional sentences (Si + imperfecto de subjuntivo).

The pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo is used in type II conditional sentences to express hypothetical situations or situations contrary to present reality. We will see conditional sentences in depth in an upcoming article.

Structure: Si + imperfecto de subjuntivo + condicional simple:

Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo (If I had money, I would travel the world). (I don’t have money now).

Si estudiaras más, aprobarías el examen (If you studied more, you would pass the exam). (You don’t study enough).

Si fuera rico, compraría una casa en la playa (If I were rich, I would buy a house at the beach). (I’m not rich).

Si pudiéramos, te ayudaríamos (If we could, we would help you). (We can’t help you).

Si supiera la respuesta, te la diría (If I knew the answer, I would tell you). (I don’t know the answer).

In sentences with “aunque”.

When “aunque” introduces an action in the past and the main verb is also in the past, we use the imperfect subjunctive. It’s also used when we want to express a hypothetical or unreal concession in relation to the present or future, with the other verb in the conditional.

Aunque lloviera, siempre salíamos a caminar. (Even if it rained, we always went out for a walk). / (Habitual action in the past).

No quiso venir aunque se lo pidiera varias veces. (He/She didn’t want to come even though I asked him/her several times). / (Reference to the past).

Lo haría aunque me costara mucho esfuerzo. (I would do it even if it took a lot of effort). / (Hypothetical in present/future).

No cambiaría de opinión aunque me lo pidieran. (I wouldn’t change my mind even if they asked me to). / (Hypothetical in present/future).

Expressing improbable or impossible wishes.

It is used with verbs like “querer”, “desear”, or expressions like “ojalá” to express wishes that are improbable or impossible in the present.

Examples:

Ojalá tuviera más tiempo libre (I wish I had more free time). (But I don’t have it).

Quisiera que estuvieras aquí (I wish you were here).

(But you’re not). Desearía que las cosas fueran diferentes (I wish things were different). (But they’re not).

Ojalá supiera hablar francés (I wish I knew how to speak French). (But I don’t speak it).

Me gustaría que me comprendieras (I would like you to understand me). (But it seems you don’t understand me).

After “como si”.

The expression “como si” is always followed by the preterite imperfect subjunctive because it expresses a comparison with something unreal or hypothetical.

Examples:

Habla español como si fuera nativo (He speaks Spanish as if he were a native speaker). (But he’s not a native speaker).

Me tratas como si fuera un niño (You treat me as if I were a child). (But I’m not a child).

Gasta dinero como si fuera millonario (He spends money as if he were a millionaire). (But he’s not a millionaire).

Actúa como si no pasara nada (He acts as if nothing were happening). (But something is happening).

Me mira como si no me conociera (He looks at me as if he didn’t know me). (But he does know me).

As I was saying before, this verb tense can refer to the past, present or future. In mi madre quería que yo estudiara medicina (my mother wanted me to study medicine) we refer to the past, since the mother had that wish in the past. In si estudiaras más, tendrías mejores notas (if you studied more, you would have better grades) we refer to the present, since if the condition is met, which is something possible in the present, the consequence could occur, which is hypothetical. And in me gustaría que vinieras a casa el próximo sábado (I would like you to come home next Saturday) we refer to the future, and in this case we use the preterite imperfect subjunctive because the verb gustar is in conditional, which requires the use of the pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo in the subordinate clause. In certain cases, moreover, constructions with presente  de subjuntivo and pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo with similar, though not identical, meanings are valid. For example, we can say necesito que me digas la verdad (I need you to tell me the truth) or necesitaría que me dijeras la verdad (I’d need you to tell me the truth), the first option being an almost imperative form and the second a kinder form with a greater degree of unreality of requesting the same thing. Here you can read more about the presente de subjuntivo to compare the use of both verb tenses: you will see that the difference in choosing one or the other depends on the tense in which the other verb present in the statement is conjugated.

We have reached the end of this article. The subjunctive mood is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult things about the Spanish language, but don’t worry. It’s normal that while you develop your interlanguage you make mistakes using the subjunctive, but in general those mistakes don’t prevent communication. Furthermore, the subjunctive is used so frequently in the language that, if you use the language often, you will quickly get used to its use. Here I leave you exercises to practice this topic and, if you have questions, write to me.