Tiempos Verbales Reference Sheet
AP Spanish Language & Culture • Master Grammar Quick-Sheet
Indicative Mood & Imperatives: Regular Endings & Usage
Part 1 of 2
Real Facts • Definite Past • Future • Commands
Indicative Mood • Simple Tenses
Factual statements, habitual events, objective reality
1. Present (Presente)
-AR: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an -ER/-IR: -o, -es, -e, -emos/-imos, -éis/-ís, -en
Use: Ongoing routines, universal truths, and historical present in synthesis essays.
Ex: La diversidad cultural define la comunidad. (Cultural diversity defines community.)
2. Preterite (Pretérito Indefinido)
-AR: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron -ER/-IR: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
Use: Completed actions at a specific point or within a closed past timeframe.
Ex: En 1982, García Márquez recibió el Premio Nobel. (GGM received the Nobel Prize in 1982.)
3. Imperfect (Pretérito Imperfecto)
-AR: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban -ER/-IR: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían
Use: Habitual past actions ("used to / was doing"), background descriptions, age & ongoing states.
Ex: Antes, la gente solía escuchar la radio comunal. (Before, people used to listen to community radio.)
4. Future Simple (Futuro)
All verbs (infinitive +): -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án
Use: Definite future events; also expresses probability/conjecture in the present (¿Qué hora será?).
Ex: La innovación científica mitigará el calentamiento global. (Innovation will mitigate warming.)
5. Conditional Simple (Condicional)
All verbs (infinitive +): -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían
Use: Hypothetical outcomes ("would"), polite requests, or future actions seen from the past.
Ex: Una mayor inversión mejoraría la educación. (Higher investment would improve education.)
Indicative Mood • Compound Tenses (Haber + Past Participle: -ado / -ido)
Completed actions with temporal reference point
Present Perfect he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han
Use: "Has/have done". Action connected to current period (today, this year).
La sociedad ha progresado bastante. (Society has made progress.)
Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto) había, habías, había, habíamos...
Use: "Had done". Action completed before another past event ("past of the past").
Al comenzar el debate, ya habían leído la fuente. (...had already read.)
Future Perfect habré, habrás, habrá, habremos...
Use: "Will have done". Action that will be completed prior to a future deadline.
Para el 2030, habrán firmado el tratado. (...will have signed the treaty.)
Conditional Perfect habría, habrías, habría, habríamos...
Use: "Would have done". What would have happened under past conditions.
El autor habría terminado sin censura. (The author would have finished.)
Imperative Mood: Regular Endings & Pronoun Placement
Direct Orders • Instructions • Suggestions
Regular Endings:
Tú (+): -a (-AR) | -e (-ER/-IR) → ¡Habla! ¡Come! ¡Escribe!
Tú (-): -es (-AR) | -as (-ER/-IR) → ¡No hables! ¡No comas!
Ud. (+/-): -e (-AR) | -a (-ER/-IR) → ¡Analice! / ¡No ignore!
Uds. (+/-): -en (-AR) | -an (-ER/-IR) → ¡Lean la fuente!
Nosotros: -emos (-AR) | -amos (-ER/-IR) → ¡Trabajemos!
Pronoun Rules & Irregulars:
- Affirmative: Attach to verb end (add accent if 3+ syllables): ¡Explícamelo! / ¡Háganlo!
- Negative: Place before verb: ¡No me lo expliques!
- Irregular Tú (+): di, haz, ve, pon, sal, sé, ten, ven.
AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam • Grammar Reference Sheet Turn page for Subjunctive Mood, "Si" Clauses & AP Exam Boosters →
AP Spanish Language & Culture • Master Grammar Quick-Sheet
Subjunctive Mood & Advanced 'Si' Clause Structures
Part 2 of 2
Doubt • Emotion • Hypotheses • Score 5 Patterns
When to Use the Subjunctive: The W.E.I.R.D.O.S. Trigger Checklist Subject 1 + Trigger Verb + «que» + Subject 2 (Subjunctive)
The subjunctive expresses subjective mood (not concrete facts). It is triggered by: Wishes/Desires (querer, desear) • Emotions (alegrarse, temer) • Impersonal expressions (es importante, es urgente) • Recommendations/Requests (sugerir, pedir) • Doubt/Denial (dudar, no creer) • Ojalá (hopefully) • Speculation/Uncertain existence (buscar un libro que tenga...).
The 4 Subjunctive Tenses: Regular Endings & Usage
1. Present Subjunctive Flip vowel from 'yo'
-AR: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en
-ER/-IR: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an
Use: Present/future subjective acts, wishes, recommendations.
Es vital que participen en el debate. (It is vital that they participate...)
2. Imperfect Subjunctive 3rd pl. pret. - ron
All verbs: -ra, -ras, -ra, -'ramos, -rais, -ran
(Also valid: -se, -ses, -se, -'semos, -seis, -sen)
Use: Past subjunctive trigger or improbable condition ("were to").
El autor pedía que reflexionaran. (The author asked that they reflect.)
3. Present Perfect Subjunctive haya + part.
Formula: haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan + -ado/-ido
Use: Subjective feeling about a completed past action ("glad you finished").
Me alegra que haya logrado la meta. (I'm glad she achieved the goal.)
4. Pluperfect Subjunctive hubiera + part.
Formula: hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran + -ado/-ido
Use: Counterfactual past ("had happened"). Past regrets & unreal hypotheses.
Dudaba de que hubieran terminado. (I doubted that they had finished.)
Master 'Si' (If) Clauses Matrix: The AP Score Booster Never use Present Subjunctive right after «Si»!
| Condition Type | «Si» Clause (Condition) | Main Clause (Result) |
|---|
| 1. Real / Likely | | |
| (Present or Future fact) | Si + Present Indicative | |
| Si analizas las fuentes con rigor... | Future / Present / Command | |
| ...obtendrás un 5 en el examen AP. | | |
| 2. Hypothetical / Improbable | | |
| (Contrary-to-fact present) | Si + Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra) | |
| Si tuviera más tiempo libre... | Conditional Simple (-ía) | |
| ...viajaría por toda América Latina. | | |
| 3. Past Unreal / Impossible | | |
| (Counterfactual past regret) | Si + Pluperfect Subj. (hubiera...) | |
| Si hubiéramos leído el artículo... | Conditional Perf. (habría...) or hubiera | |
| ...habríamos formulado una mejor tesis. | | |
Always Require Subjunctive: E.S.C.A.P.A.
En caso de que (in case) • Sin que (without) • Con tal de que (provided that) • Antes de que (before) • Para que (so that) • A menos que (unless).
Debemos actuar antes de que sea irreversible.
Conjunctions of Time: «Cuando / En cuanto / Tan pronto como»
• If referring to a future/anticipated action → use Subjunctive.
• If referring to a habitual action or past event → use Indicative.
Cuando el gobierno apruebe (future) la ley, celebraremos.
AP Exam Strategy for High Variety in Argumentative Essay & Conversation:
Incorporate counterfactual 'Si' clauses («Si se consideraran los datos de la Fuente 2, el problema mejoraría...») and courteous subjunctive verbs (quisiera añadir / debiéramos examinar). Scoring rubrics explicitly reward variety and control of complex compound structures.
AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam • Grammar Reference Sheet Comprehensive Student Quick-Study Sheet
