2000+ Spanish Irregular Verbs - Hackvalue

5. Mood
The term mood is used to group verb phrases into three main categories, according to the general
kind of meaning they convey, and one lesser category that could also be classed as a tense.
a. The indicative mood
The indicative mood is a statement of fact or an actual occurrence from the writer's or speaker's
perspective.
It may be action occurring in past, present, or future time.
b. The subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, desires, or suppositions. For example, the following
statement illustrates the subjunctive mood: I wish I were taller.
Why there are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive and pluperfect subjunctive?
The -se form might be considered the "traditional" form of the imperfect (or past) subjunctive, while the
-ra comes from an old Latin indicative form. Over time, the two verb forms came to be used identically.
Today, with a few regional exceptions, the -ra form has basically replaced the -se form, and so it is the
-ra form you should learn.
When used as the imperfect subjunctive, the two forms are completely interchangeable. The -se form
is sometimes known as a literary form because it is used much less, but there is no difference in
meaning.
However, there are a very few cases where the use of the -ra form as an indicative verb form have
survived in modern Spanish, although you will seldom hear them. In some parts of Latin America as
well as some areas near Portugal, you may hear the -ra form substitute for the pluperfect (e.g., fuera
instead of había sido to say "had been"). Also, there are some speakers who use the -ra form of haber
as a substitute for the conditional, that is hubiera conocido instead of habría conocido for "would have
known"; that usage can also be found occasionally in literature. In these rare cases where the -ra form
is used instead of the conditional, the -se form can't be used as a substitute for the conditional. It isn't
important to learn these variations, but it can be helpful to remember they exist in case you come
across them.
c. The imperative
The imperative mood is a command or instruction given to the hearer, charging the hearer to carry out
or perform a certain action.
d. The conditional
The conditional mood (sometimes described as the conditional tense) is a verb form in many
languages, in which a verb root is modified to form verb tenses, moods, or aspects expressing
degrees of certainty or uncertainty and hypothesis about past, present, or future.
Conditional [condicional]
Just as in English, the conditional tense of verbs in Spanish is difficult to classify. Unlike the past,
future and present tenses, it doesn't always refer to a particular period of time.
And while its name suggests that it is used when there's a condition involved, in Spanish it also has
some close connections with the future tense.
In fact, in Spanish, the conditional tense is known as both el condicional and el futuro hipotético
(the hypothetical future).
If I had money, I would go to the movies. Si tuviera dinero, iría al cine.
Conditional perfect [condicional anterior]
2000+ Spanish Irregular Verbs - 2nd Edition
It is used primarily to indicate something hypothetical or unreal in past time.
Yes, I would have gone to the moon Sí, habría ido a la luna.
9
© Copywright 2007