I am 79 years old and decided to study Spanish to keep my brain active. With a background in Latin and French, it is somehow manageable. Your way of explaining systematically the grammar has been very helpful. Gracias.
I'm a current, advanced, Spanish speaker who is finishing up a professional Spanish business certificate with about 9-10 years of learning experience. The imperfecto del subjuntivo was one of the tenses I couldn't really master. However, this video was honestly the first resource that significantly helped me better understand it. All of a sudden, everything just clicked! As a language learner, I'm pretty sure you're aware of that amazing feeling you encounter when you're finally able to fully understand a specific grammar topic.
I don't think I've taken the time to comment on any of your videos, but I've been watching them for about a year now. I would like to say thanks a lot for what you do, and from another native English speaker's perspective (Canada), you are by far the most helpful to me out of any of the other RU-vid channels in regards to Spanish language learning. Thanks again.
I've been using the word "quisiera" for "I would like" for a while now and didn't realize I was using the subjunctive. Now I know where the ending comes from. Thanks.
Excellent approach to explaining this Big Bad Wulf of Spanish gramma as imperfect subjunctive!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, so clear, I’m running with it now!!!!❤🎉😊
Great way of explaining the use of Imperfect Subjunctive! I have seen so many of these, and they all make it very confusing. Yours doesn't because you stick to the matter and don't dwell on other things. Also the examples you use are very much to the point.
Thank you for uploading this video. It was really inspiring to be informed that the stem of imperfect subjunctive is that of the 3rd plural preterite. I'd never thought of that. So if I wanted to conjugate "estar", probably I'm gonna conjugate it to "estuvieron" and take the ending "-ron" to make the stem "estuvie", and finally "-ra, ras, ramos", "rais", "ran". Wow! Your explaination is very easy to understand.
So I found your previous shorter series(AIB) before I found YOUR newer much more complete and luxurious channel lol ...... I'm dying to leave breadcrumbs all over that place to lead everyone here when they are finished there!! I've left a few comments trying to ensure everyone new that there was more, but wondering if that was ok!?! Just exciting about finding a new and effective resource. YOU ROCK!
Im so glad that you found my new channel!! Being that I'm no longer partnered with AIB, I've tried not to intentionally funnel subscribers over to The Language Tutor. Just to remain ethical and hope that in good faith you guys will stumble across the new content sooner than later. I really appreciate your support and I hope that I can continue to help you grow and lean the Spanish language.
Terrific, clear explanation with lots of good examples. I don’t remember if you mentioned it, but I heard that those “-iese” endings were primarily used in written Spanish only
I took notes of everything in the last lesson and until now but I burnt out when you began introducing the imperfect conjugation charts. You’re a good teacher. I’ll be back. Te agradezco profesor
Sir I am confused with the last sentence..I would like a lot of money . How it can b past imperfect. It is a future tense . Then why we have used it here
The best tip I learnt for remembering future tense endings, is that they evolved from historic use of aux verb haber following infinitive, so "hablar he" became hablaré, etc,
Amazing lesson like always! Thank you so much. I have a question, for “I would like” when do we use quisiera (subjunctive) and when querría (conditional). Are they used interchangeably?
I don't think they are always interchangeable. Like in the case of "I would like a lot of money," I gather that it's more wishful thinking. But if you were talking to your employer and wanted to say "I'd like my paycheck," you'd just use conditional. That's why I'm also on the side of probably not using imperfect subjunctive when ordering food, just seems like it would be over the top. I would use "me gustaria..." I'm no expert by any means, these are just my thoughts. And speaking of thoughts: vid was great!
Like most things Spanish, the rules are predictable and consistent. That said, it'll be a long time before I can use this tense without having to stop and think. I think a nice shortcut in some cases is to leverage hubiera and hubiese. I came to this channel because I knew you'd break it down perfectly. Thank you. :)
The rules are very similar to French. So, first I have to put a verb into the form of the third person plural and then add those endings. I guess it will take me some time to build a sentence and I suppose my interlocutor won't wait for me to finish)))). To pity but I will never memorize that. Anyway thank you for the video.
Super Lesson,again! In Lesson 44, we learned that the first person singular past tense for querer is quise. But here, you used quería. Why would it not be: “QUISE que ella veniese a mi casa.”?
Hello can you make a video about spanish slang words and sentences. But thanks for this video anyway ❣️ i've been a fan since you're still a part of AIB.
This was very helpful as always. The last example doesnt seem to cooincide with the imperfect in my tiny mind. 'Iwould like alot of money" It seems to be the indicative to me.
Hi Danny, I have followed your channel for a while now and it’s brilliant, I am now stuck at this video and have been for a while! I can grasp the main concept and I understand most of the WEIRDO uses. But the example ‘I was going to send her a check so she could pay her rent…’ I know it changes subject but which of the WEIRDO categories would this fit into? I’m struggling to use this naturally in conversation! Thanks 👍🏼 Jake
It would fall under the W, as I understand it, since it is describing an intention as you wanted to help her pay the rent (which is a wish or desire from your side). :)
@@TheLanguageTutor I always think of the following, what comes to your mind when I say for instance: " If I didn't have a lincence I wouldn't be able to drive" I mean why does English use the same simple past to express the subjuntive? Would you not confuse it with the simple past in certaim cases? I think that the best answer to this question is that English is a contextul language but I still dont assimilate it. When you hear these kind of sentences do you think of the subjetive or simple past? this is a question that I have always wanted to ask an american
May I ask what the difference is between the imperfect and perfect subjunctive? I'm kinda stumped on this as some sentences kinda sound similar to me. For example: Ojalá que no haya hecho eso en la fiesta. Ojalá que no hiciera eso en la fiesta. Dudo que haya viajado a Estados Unidos. Dudo que viajara a Estados Unidos. Are there any rules to tell when to use one over the other?
hi, just a quick question. for the example "its good that he started college" wouldn't the verb in the dependent clause not be in the imperfect subjunctive because the verb in the main clause is in the present indicative rather than the preterite or imperfect? that example confused me.
I am so grateful I discovered your videos. Is it really personal preference which version we use? Is there a regional/national/situational preference or it is totally our call which imperfect subjective ending to use?
Could you recommend some of those websites where I can find many examples, Please! Thank you very much. Way better than Cervantes... Greetings from Turkey.
Thank you! I have two questions. In the "If...then.." sentence there are not two different subjects. And also in the last example, "I would like a lot of money." Can you help explain why these then are still subjunctive tense? Would we use subjunctive for something like "I hope that I finish my homework"?
I think your videos are excellent but I’d like to point something out. ‘I would like a lot of money’ is also a conditional sentence in Spanish and should be ‘querría (tener) mucho dinero’. However, it’s true that the use of ‘quisiera’ in conditional sentences is very spread and I think considered as correct. ‘Quisiese’ is NOT used in conditional sentences, though. Also, this exception of using the subjunctive in conditional sentences only applies to the verb ‘querer’.
You used the imperfect conjugation for verbs at the beginning of the sentences (ex: Quería que ella viniese a mi casa). Can the preterite be used in the position that the “Quería” is in or is it always imperfect?
In the sentence "Si fuera rico ayudaría a los pobres" I think "ayudaría" is in the conditional tense yes? Some confussion here in the example as the English word "would" can mean a few different things. "Quisiera mucho dinero." I would like a lot of money is subjunctive but "I would help her" is conditional.....I think
I can see what you're saying. "Could" and "would" are both used for the conditional and this just shows that there are several ways to say some things in most languages.
@@TheLanguageTutor It's taken me over a year to know that conditional is a different mode to subjunctive. Now that I know that subjunctive occurs in the two verb sentence model that is straight forward.
Yes, ‘ayudaría’ is in the conditional tense. All the sentences you mentioned are conditional sentences: ‘Quisiera mucho dinero’ ‘I would like a lot of money’ ‘I would help her’ So why is ‘quisiera’ used then? Why is the subjunctive mood used in a conditional sentence? It’s just because its use is spread and accepted. The correct way of saying it would be ‘querría mucho dinero’ (the real conditional) Both ways are used and accepted though. But NOT ‘quisiese’! Only ‘quisiera’. This exception only applies to the verb querer (as far as I know) so the rest of the verbs should be in the conditional tense: ‘Tendría una casa más grande’ ‘Vendería los libros que no uso’ Hope it helps. Edited for typos.
The widespread use of "quisiera" (but NOT "quisiese") with a conditional meaning survives from older Spanish of the 16th and 17th centuries. If you read Don Quijote, there are many conditional sentences where the -ra verb endings are used in both the if and the then portions of conditions. Today, that use is literary or poetic for most other verbs. However, you still hear people say and write "valiera", "pareciera", "debiera" and "pudiera" in place of "valdría" (would be worth), "parecería" (would seem), "debería" (should or would owe) and "podría" (could or would be able to). The -ra forms of these verbs and querer sound warmer, more polite in making suggestions. The -ria conditional for these verbs sounds a bit colder and more direct. Also, it is very common to use "hubiera" in place of "habría" for the past conditional.
So both endings ra and se are correct, but it's more of a comfortable thing? Like if you are more comfortable using the ra than the se as endings or vice versa?
Both forms are equally used in Spain. I use both of them in my speech. The first one that comes to my mind is the one I will use in that moment. But I wouldn’t worry about it. If you’re comfortable with only one form, just use that one.
In Costa Rica the "ese" form is more predominant. The "ese" ending is more cult and makes you sound educated. "Era" is more common. I always use "ese".
I wondered if "me gustaría" was the same as "quisiera", but I think I was confusing the conditional with the imperfect subjunctive. Am I right about that?
hi , anyone explain pls, SE forms , it was not clear in the video Se endings , why and when we use those. for example ''empezase'' etc... what is the difference between RA and Se endings. thank you .
Hi, my native language is Spanish, so I can tell you that both of them are interchangeable, however, the first one is a bit more common and less "formal".
"I would like a lot of money." This example contains only one phrase, so your initial statement regarding two phrases does not apply. I am frustrated that "when to use the imperfect subjunctive" is not better defined. Could you do a follow-up that makes this definition more clear?
I'm really confused why it's Queria que ella viniera a mi casa instead of Queria que ella venga (subjunctive) a mi casa. Can someone please help. Muchas gracias!
I would say it is not correct, partially. "Asustado" is the feeling after being scared or after a scary event. "Tengo miedo" means "I'm scared". Also, "él" the pronoun always has an accent to differentiate from the article. The correct form would be: "Él tenía miedo de que ella no estuviera/estuviese en la reunión".
(Me parece que el profesor no es hablante nativo de castellano. Bueno, sólo quería ver cómo se le podía explicar a un hablante de inglés un tiempo verbal que no existe en ese idioma. Caramba que es difícil.)
