Plans, wishes & possibilities
When something happens next
Present subjunctive: future-time clauses
Refer to an event that has not happened yet in a time clause.
Endings refresher
Present subjunctive
For many verbs, start with the present yo form, remove -o, and add the opposite-vowel ending.
| Person | -ar ending | -er / -ir ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -e | -a |
| tú | -es | -as |
| él / ella / usted | -e | -a |
| nosotros / nosotras | -emos | -amos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -éis | -áis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -en | -an |
hacer → hago → hag- + -a → yo haga
- Some -ir verbs also change the stem in nosotros and vosotros: pedir → pidamos / pidáis; dormir → durmamos / durmáis.
- Spelling may change to preserve the sound: buscar → busque, llegar → llegue, empezar → empiece (also e → ie).
- Common exceptions include sea, vaya, haya, sepa, dé and esté.
- These charts use tú. Vosotros / vosotras is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final row. Vos forms vary by region.
The pattern
- Future meaning: cuando / en cuanto / hasta que + present subjunctive.
- Present subjunctive: hablar → hable; comer → coma; vivir → viva.
Te llamaré cuando llegue.
I will call you when I arrive.
Why it works: The arrival is still pending, so cuando introduces present subjunctive llegue. It has future meaning without using a future-tense form.
Notice the difference
Te llamo cuando llego.
I call you when I arrive.
Why it works: With present indicative llamo and llego, this describes a routine rather than one pending arrival.
One thing to watch for
Habitual facts use indicative: te llamo cuando llego. Future reference here does not require future subjunctive.