How Many Verb Forms?

Question

I have the book Complete Spanish Grammar by Gilda Nissenberg, Ph.D and published by McGraw Hill.

I think it's missing a verb form. I copied the verb tables from the back and there was no mention of a Future Perfect Subjunctive. Maybe I should write to the publisher and get my money back.

That makes 18 verb forms on this site and 17 in the book.

Perhaps I should write to the publisher and demand a refund.

Is there any reason an author of what is supposed to be COMPLETE Spanish grammar book would leave out the future perfect subjunctive form'

Answer 1

What a coincidence! I was reading a article not 2 hours ago talking about how this re form was going out of use. Read the portion discussing the future perfect subjunctive on this link as I can't remember where I saw the other one.

http://users.ipfw.edu/JEHLE/COURSES/PASTSUBJ.HTM

another better article: http://spanish.about.com/od/verbmoods/a/futuresubjunct.htm

My Red Pocket Book of Spanish Verbs does not include the future perfect subjunctive form either. Apparently it is no longer used or going out of use. They probably included it here in case someone ran across it in older literature and wanted to know what it is.

Answer 2

Future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive are useless in modern Spanish, as not even natives know how to use them. You'll find them only in old sayings, twisted legal texts, and ancient novels. You can probably add the "pretérito anterior" to this list, which is rarely used.

Omitting those forms for learners who are not interested in 17th century Spanish, but in speaking normal Spanish is acceptable. What I find unacceptable is those books that only give the conjugation of verbs like "gustar" for the 3rd person, and omit the 1st and the 2nd.

You'll need:

indicative
present - present perfect
imperfect - pluperfect
preterite
future - future perfect
conditional - conditional perfect

subjunctive
present - present perfect
imperfect - pluperfect

imperative

And, of course, infinitive, present participle and past participle.