Spanish Verbs Made Simple(r) - Hillcrest Elementary

Introduction
The structure of Spanish verbs is not difficult to comprehend for a native English
speaker, as most of the forms parallel or are very close in meaning to those employed
in English. This basic similarity is at times obscured, however, by the lack
of uniformity in naming the various verb forms. Consider, for example, some of
the names variously applied to the two verb forms represented by I took and
I have taken:
I took I have taken
preterite present perfect
past past perfect
simple past compound past
past definite past definite
past indefinite past indefinite
To emphasize the close correspondence between English and Spanish verb forms,
we have chosen to use names which are simple to remember and convey the essential
nature of the verb form in question, even if some grammarians might not
always consider them the most appropriate.
One seeming major difference between Spanish and English verb systems is
that Spanish employs two “moods”: the indicative and the subjunctive. The mood
of the verb does not refer (at least directly) to that of the speaker but rather to the
type of statement he or she is making. The indicative can be thought of as the
“normal” verb mood (or mode), while the subjunctive is used in a number of special
circumstances—in connection with orders, desires, uncertainty, etc. Contrary
to what many might think, the subjunctive also exists in English, though its
existence generally passes unnoticed since subjunctive and indicative verb forms
in Modern English are almost always the same. But a sentence like
I insist that he be punished.
provides an illustration that there is at times a difference between the two.
In Spanish the subjunctive is an essential element of the verb system and it is
virtually impossible to have a meaningful conversation without using it. For this
reason we will devote a substantial portion of Part II to a discussion of its use.