Present Subjunctive Irregular

Regular subjunctive formation is straightforward — drop the -o from the yo indicative form and add opposite endings. But what about verbs that don't follow this pattern? In this lesson, we cover stem-changing verbs, verbs with irregular yo forms, and the handful of verbs that are truly irregular in the subjunctive.

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Category 1: Stem-Changing Verbs

Many Spanish verbs have a stem change in the present indicative (e → ie, o → ue, e → i). These same stem changes carry over into the subjunctive, with one important difference.

-AR and -ER Stem-Changing Verbs

For -AR and -ER stem-changing verbs, the stem change occurs in all forms except nosotros and vosotros — exactly as in the indicative:

PENSAR (e → ie) — to think

Person	Subjunctive
yo	piense
tú	pienses
él/ella/usted	piense
nosotros/as	pensemos
vosotros/as	penséis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	piensen

VOLVER (o → ue) — to return