Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Past (imperfect) subjunctive Pluperfect subjunctive of

of haber cantar

-ra forms:

hubiera hubiera cantado

hubieras hubieras cantado

hubiera hubiera cantado

hubiéramos hubiéramos cantado

hubierais hubierais cantado

hubieran hubieran cantado

-se forms:

hubiese hubiese cantado

hubieses hubieses cantado

hubiese hubiese cantado

hubiésemos hubiésemos cantado

hubieseis hubieseis cantado

hubiesen hubiesen cantado

Infinitive of haber Perfect infinitive of cantar

haber haber cantado

NOTE The compound tenses of haber are formed in the same way as the compound tenses of all

other verbs: its past participle is habido. The gerund of haber is habiendo.

The forms of haber in its existential meaning ‘there is’, ‘there are’ and in the expression

haber que + infinitive ‘to be necessary to’ (see 21.7) are identical to the 3rd person

singular forms given above, except that in the present hay is used.

16.1.2 Irregular verbs

Spanish has a large number of irregular verbs, though there are recurrent patterns

discernible.

16.1.2.1 Radical-changing verbs
Many verbs are radical-changing. This means that their present stem is changed when
the stem is stressed: e changes to ie and o to ue. Examples are:

CERRAR (ie) ‘to close’ RECORDAR (ue) ‘to remember’

e changes to ie o changes to ue

(a) Present

cierro recuerdo

cierras (cerrás) recuerdas (recordás)

cierra recuerda

VERB FORMS 16.1