Why did I accidentally get this right? Subjunctive haber
Just ran across a phrase in an online Spanish-to-English translation excercize that I got right only because I recognized the pat phrase in English. i.e. had it been the other way around, I would have chosen a different word.
From: Fue como si el tiempo se hubiese detenido.
To: It was as if time had stopped.
I would have guessed hubiera, and never have chosen hubiese. Admittedly I´m brand new at subjunctive in the past, especially in the perfect, but this didn´t even ring a bell when seen, much less seem like something I could have conjured on my own. I´m too where I can recognize it most of the time, even if I couldn´t say it, but not this.
Alguién me puede explicar esto?
Muchas gracias!
4 Answers
I'm not sure quite what you're asking but if you break it down the 'it was as if' part should be pretty easy. Referring to a moment in the past requires the preterite and it's in the indicative mood because that's a fact, it 'was' as if.
Then because we are saying, 'it was as if' we know that what follows is not a fact, time hadn't really stopped. For that reason we can't use the indicative mood we have to use the subjunctive.
'Had stopped ' is translated with the plu or past perfect, this uses the imperfect of the auxiliary verb haber and a past participle, so the imperfect subjunctive of haber is hubiese or hubiera and the past participle of detener (to stop) is detenido.
You could use hubiera or hubiese as they're generally interchangeable.
The 'se' is there because time wasn't stopping anything else, only itself. So 'se hubiese'.
And it think that's about all.
I hope it was what you're looking for.
Kiwi is correct.
from the RAE.
hubiera o hubiese
hubieras o hubieses
hubiera o hubiese
hubiéramos o hubiésemos
hubierais o hubieseis / hubieran o hubiesen
hubieran o hubiesen
I am not sure if the "ese" form is preferred over the "era" form in Spain. I would like to say so, but I am not sure. In any event, both forms were used long time ago, and still the "ese" form is used in some set phrases of long ago....
I say the "ese" and "era" form just in case you don't know all the verbs have both forms....
Move your left ear, if this was of any help. 
Thanks Kiwi.
You could use hubiera or hubiese as they're generally interchangeable.
That was the part I didn´t get. I translated it from the Spanish phrase to English correctly, despite not knowing what the heck hubiese is, and thought that it should be hubiera. I fully expected to get it wrong, and then it counted me right.
So, really? There are two forms? I´ve seen a few past participles that have multiple forms (which invariably I know only one of) but this is news to me.
In any event, thanks!
R
whats a pat phrase?
