Tense Clarification
What is the difference between Imperfect Indicative Tense and the Imperfect Subjective Tense
5 Answers
Welcome to the forum.
Needing to understand the difference between imperfect indicative tense and imperfect subjunctive is something you learn gradually as your use of language expands. I made myself understood and passed an exam in Spanish without knowing the subjunctive. In fact if you are new to Spanish trying to slot in the subjunctive will just confuse you.
Some of the commands use the same conjugation as present subjunctive.
The Spanish use the subjunctive to add layers of subtlety. It can change the meaning of a sentence and often there is no right or wrong answer.
If you have not reached a stage in your Spanish where you need to use the subjunctive you are better ignoring it.
Here is an article
and here are some suggestions of tenses
Enjoy learning to communicate. You need some grammar but do not get weighed down by it. If there is a particular situation where you are unsure whether to use imperfect subjunctive ask a question.
Daniela is giving you sensible advice.
I have recently answered a similar question and posted links to some songs using the subjunctive which I think is a lovely way to get used to using the language
There is a lot of good information on these posts, and I understand every word of it. I am a fluent Spanish speaker, originally from Spain. However if I were a beginner, these explanations would be the same as if they were written in ancient Klingon in Hebrew plus heiroglyphic script.
These are all terms describing various structures (or grammar) in the Spanish language. The best thing to do is not even bother about them unless you are taking a step by step course in Spanish, then you will learn the terminology pertinent to the particular grammar you are being shown at the time. The Spanish verb system is much more complicated than the one in English, and you must learn the whole "enchilada" or you will not understand much of the terminology.
I recommend a good textbook like Panorama" any edition. you can get them on Amazon.com for a low as one dollar.
THEN: go to the following link and enjoy a good step-by step course with a good teacher named "Paralee."
Or even vice-versa. Use Parelee's course, then get a book. It's up to you.
Paralee's Spanish Course
Hello Amschiffer,
Welcome to our Spanishdict community forum. 
First of all, it is important to understand the diference between the indicative and subjunctive moods.
There are three moods in Spanish: The indicative, the subjunctive and the imperative or command mood used for giving orders! In order to answer your question, I will only be talking about the first two.
Basically speaking, the indicative mood is used in Spanish to express facts and make statements about things which are true. The imperfect indicative is specifically used to talk about actions that have not been completed ie: actions you were doing or used to do.
ex: We used to work every day. = Trabajábamos todos los días.
The subjunctive mood in Spanish, in contrast, is used to express doubt, uncertainty, and also to make impersonal* statements:
ex: It is fantastic* that John has obtained very good grades in all his exams, recently! = Es fantástico que Juan haya obtenido (or, haya sacado) muy buenas notas en todos sus examenes, recientemente.
The subjunctive mood is used when you want somebody to do something for you. ex: I want you to buy me a diamond ring = Quiero que me compres un anillo diamante.
(Present subjunctive)
It is also used to express what you would do if something else were possible. You would use the imperfect subjunctive to say this:
ex: If I had more money I would travel around the world. = Si tuviera más dinero viajaría por todo el mundo.
I have only intended to give you a brief overview of the difference between the imperfect indicative and the imperfect subjunctive, not an exhaustive account. Ken's great post and his helpful link to our Spanishdict verb language guide should also prove most useful!
Our native Spanish teacher Daniela has also written many useful articles including some on the subjunctive. If you do a search you will find them.
I hope this helps
Corrijan mi español si es necesario, por favor
There are many good articles on the link below. 15 of them deal with various aspects of the subjunctive. If you don't know much about the subjunctive mood, I'd suggest the following as good places to start.
Spanish Indicative Mood
Spanish Subjunctive
Subjunctive vs. Indicative in Spanish
In terms of your specific question, both the imperfect indicative and imperfect subjunctive are two of several past tense moods in Spanish. If you understand when the subjunctive is used, then understanding the difference between these two will be fairly easy.
The imperfect subjunctive is mostly used for past tense situations (that require the subjunctive) although it can also be used for present tense situations that are contrary to fact such as "I wish I were a millionaire." This is an example of English subjunctive.
Here is an example of a sentence, in English, that would require the imperfect indicative in Spanish: I used to go shopping with my Mother every Sunday. This is a fact, about a habitual event in the past so the imperfect indicative would be used in Spanish.
Here is an example of a sentence, in English, that would require the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish: I wanted my mother to take me shopping all the time. This is a past desire that someone else did something in the past. You're not even saying whether this used to happen or not...it was just a wish that you used to have. The "I wanted" would be in the imperfect indicative, while the "that my mother take me shopping" would be in the imperfect subjunctive.
It is a fact that you wanted it, but who knows whether it actually happened? And, by the way, whether your mother actually did take you shopping frequently is irrelevant ...you would use the imperfect subjunctive in either case. Even if she took you shopping a lot, the focus of this statement is on your past desire, it is not about how often your mother took you shopping.
To emphasize this concept, even if you said "I was glad that my mother used to take me shopping all the time" This clearly indicates that she did, however, because you start the sentence with an emotional statement you use the subjunctive.
Solía ir de compras con mi madre todos los domingos.
(iba could be used instead of solía ir, both solía and iba are imperfect indicative)
Quería que mi madre me llevara de compras todo el tiempo.
¿:"imperfect Subjective?" I plead my ignorance. I believe you meant to say "subjunctive". And example:
"hablaba" y "hablara". So simple!
What is not so simple is its use. Give us an example of where you think it might be used. English and Spanish.
