SPELL CHANGING VERBS IN THE PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

SPELLING CHANGES IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE

Infinitive verbs that end in -CAR, -ZAR, and -GAR have spelling change in all the forms of the subjunctive. These spelling changes are done in order to keep the pronunciation the same.

Spelling changes from C to QU

Buscar (to look for)
Yo busque
Tú busques
Él/ella/Ud. busque

Explicar (to explain)
Yo explique
Tú expliques
Él/ella/Ud. explique

Educar (to educate)
Yo eduque
Tú eduques
Él/ella/Ud. eduque

Nosotros(as) busquemos
Vosotros(as) busquéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. busquen

Nosotros(as) expliquemos
Vosotros(as) expliquéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. expliquen

Nosotros(as) eduquemos
Vosotros(as) eduquéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. eduquen

Examples:

Es triste que los politicos no busquen soluciones para la contaminación ambiental
It's sad that politicians don't look for solutions to environmental pollution

Es importante que yo explique el presente subjuntivo
It's important that I explain the present subjunctive

Es necesario que eduquemos a nuestros hijos
It's necessary that we educate our children

Change from G to GU

Llegar (to arrive)
Yo llegue
Tú llegues
Él/ella/Ud. llegue

Pagar (to pay)
Yo pague
Tú pagues
Él/ella/Ud. pague

Nosotros(as) lleguemos
Vosotros(as) lleguéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. lleguen

Nosotros(as) paguemos
Vosotros(as) paguéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. paguen

Examples:

El director sugiere que los estudiantes lleguen a tiempo
The principal suggests that the students arrive on time

Yo recomiendo que pagues tus deudas
I recommend that you pay your debts

Change from Z to C

Cruzar (to cross)
Yo cruce
Tú cruces
Él/ella/Ud. cruce

Nosotros(as) crucemos
Vosotros(as) crucéis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. crucen

Example:
Queremos que crucen la calle con mucho cuidado
We want that you cross the street with a lot of caution

Almorzar, comenzar and empezar have spelling change from Z to C, but they also are stem-changing verbs in the subjunctive tense.

MORE SPELL CHANGES

Verbs ending in -UIR such as construir and destruir, change I to Y in all forms of the subjunctive.

Construir (to build)
Yo construya
Tú construyas
Él/ella/Ud. construya

Destruir (to destroy)
Yo destruya
Tú destruyas
Él/ella/Ud. destruya

Nosotros(as) construyamos
Vosotros(as) construyáis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. construyan

Nosotros(as) destruyamos
Vosotros(as) destruyáis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. destruyan

Mores -UIR verbs that change I to Y:

Concluir (to conclude), Disminuir (to diminish), Distribuir (to distribute), Huir (to flee), Incluir (to include), and Sustituir (to substitute).

Verbs with YO forms that end in -go or -zco in the present tense use the same irregular endings in present subjunctive:

infinitive: Decir (to say)
Present subjunctive:
Yo diga
Tú digas
Él/ella/Ud. diga

infinitive: Conocer (to know)
Present subjunctive
Yo conozca
Tú conozcas
Él/ella/Ud. conozca

Present tense: Yo digo

Nosotros(as) digamos
Vosotros(as) digáis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. digan

Present tense: Yo conozco

Nosotros(as) conozcamos
Vosotros(as) conozcáis
Ellos/ellas/Uds. conozcan

More verbs with the YO forms in the present tense that end in-go or -zco:

Infinitive
Caer (to fall)
Contener (to contain)
Hacer (to do/to make)
Oír (to hear)
Poner (to put)
Salir (to go out)
Tener (to have)
Traer (to bring)
Venir (to come)
Ofrecer (to offer)
Pertenecer (to belong)
Traducir (to translate)

Yo form-present tense
caigo
contengo
hago
oigo
pongo
salgo
tengo
traigo
vengo
ofrezco
pertenezco
traduzco