Find the Perfect Roommate in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to find the perfect roommate in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• describe people

• talk about a person’s qualities

• use vocabulary related to roommates

Vocabulary

Let's start off with the vocab words in these lessons!

Adjectives

Spanish	English
alemán	German
comunicativo	communicative
portugués	Portuguese
similar	similar

examples
Busco un compañero que sea comunicativo. I'm looking for a roommate who's communicative.
Busco alguien que tenga intereses similares. I'm looking for someone who has similar interests.

Adverb

Spanish	English
fuera	outside

examples
Busco un compañero que trabaje fuera. I'm looking for a roommate who works outside the home.

Nouns

Spanish	English
el desorden	mess, disorder
el imprevisto	unforeseen event
el optimismo	optimism
la privacidad	privacy

examples
Busco alguien que no soporte el desorden. I'm looking for someone who can't stand messes.
Busco alguien que entienda los imprevistos. I'm looking for someone who understands unforeseen events.
Busco un compañero que transmita optimismo. I'm looking for a roommate who conveys optimism.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Dialogar

Dialogar(to have a conversation) is an -ar verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	dialogue	I have a conversation
tú	dialogues	you have a conversation	informal singular you
vos	dialogues	you have a conversation	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	dialogue	he, she has a conversation
usted	dialogue	you have a conversation	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	dialoguemos	we have a conversation
vosotros, vosotras	dialoguéis	you have a conversation	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	dialoguen	they have a conversation
ustedes	dialoguen	you have a conversation	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Dividir

Dividir(to divide, to share) is an -ir verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	divida	I share
tú	dividas	you share	informal singular you
vos	dividas	you share	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	divida	he, she shares
usted	divida	you share	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	dividamos	we share
vosotros, vosotras	dividáis	you share	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	dividan	they share
ustedes	dividan	you share	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Transmitir

Transmitir(to convey) is an -ir verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	transmita	I convey
tú	transmitas	you convey	informal singular you
vos	transmitas	you convey	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	transmita	he, she conveys
usted	transmita	you convey	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	transmitamos	we convey
vosotros, vosotras	transmitáis	you convey	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	transmitan	they convey
ustedes	transmitan	you convey	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

The Present Subjunctive

The Spanish present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) is used to talk about situations of doubt, desire, emotion, necessity, or uncertainty.

Unlike the present indicative, the present subjunctive is generally subjective.

Conjugating Verbs in the Present Subjunctive

To conjugate a verb in the present subjunctive, you must first remember what the present indicative yo form of the verb in question is. This is because the stem of present subjunctive verbs comes from the yo form of the present indicative. For many verbs, this will be the same as the infinitive stem, but for many others, such as verbs with spelling changes, stem-changing verbs, and irregular verbs, it will be different.

Present Subjunctive Stem Formula

The formula for finding the present subjunctive stem of a verb is the following:

• present subjunctive stem = yo form of present indicative minus o ending

Regular Present Subjunctive Endings

Once you have the stem, you will add the present subjunctive ending that matches your subject. There are only two ending sets for the present subjunctive: one for -ar verbs and one for both -er and -ir verbs.

Subject	-ar Verb Endings	-er and -ir Verb Endings
yo	e	a
tú, vos	es	as
usted, él, ella	e	a
nosotros, nosotras	emos	amos
vosotros, vosotras	éis	áis
ustedes, ellos, ellas	en	an

Irregular Verbs in the Present Subjunctive

There are only six truly irregular verbs in the subjunctive. You'll find the conjugations for each of these verbs in the tables below.

Present Subjunctive Conjugations of Dar, Estar, and Ser

Subject	Dar	Estar	Ser
yo	dé	esté	sea
tú, vos	des	estés	seas
usted, él, ella	dé	esté	sea
nosotros, nosotras	demos	estemos	seamos
vosotros, vosotras	deis	estéis	seáis
ustedes, ellos, ellas	den	estén	sean

Present Subjunctive Conjugations of Haber, Ir, and Saber

Subject	Haber	Ir	Saber
yo	haya	vaya	sepa
tú, vos	hayas	vayas	sepas
usted, él, ella	haya	vaya	sepa
nosotros, nosotras	hayamos	vayamos	sepamos
vosotros, vosotras	hayáis	vayáis	sepáis
ustedes, ellos, ellas	hayan	vayan	sepan

To remember these six verbs, just think of the mnemonic DISHES:

Dar

Ir

Saber

Haber

Estar

Ser

Stem Changes and the Present Subjunctive

While they’re not entirely irregular, the following verbs do have certain changes that we need to keep in mind while conjugating verbs in the subjunctive:

1. e> ie and o> ue Stem Changes with -ar and -er Verbs

For verbs in this group, the e in the last syllable of the stem (the yo form of the present indicative) changes to ie, or the o in the last syllable of the stem (the yo form of the present indicative) changes to ue. All subjunctive forms follow the stem change except for nosotros and vosotros, which use the infinitive stem.

2. e> ie and o> ue Stem Changes with -ir Verbs

All e> ie and o> ue stem-changing -ir verbs follow the same changes as in the present indicative, except the nosotros and vosotros forms, in which the e changes to i and the o changes to u.

3. e> i Stem Changes with -ir Verbs

All e> i stem-changing -ir verbs in the present indicative maintain the stem change in all forms of the present subjunctive.

Subjunctive Trigger Words

WEIRDO

Many of the verbs and phrases that require the subjunctive fit into the acronym WEIRDO: Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, and Ojalá.

Relative Clauses: Subjunctive Versus Indicative

Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that are equivalent to an adjective. They usually explain or elaborate on the noun they modify (the antecedent). In Spanish, relative clauses are commonly introduced by the relative pronoun que.

Check out the following example of a relative clause:

examples
Busco un compañero que trabaje fuera. I'm looking for a roommate who works outside the home.

In the above example, the relative clause is que trabaje fuera. The antecedent is un compañero.

When to Use the Subjunctive in Relative Clauses

When to use the subjunctive mood in relative clauses depends entirely on the speaker’s perception of reality. Two people could be talking about the same thing, but only one could be using the subjunctive. The general rule for using the subjunctive in relative clauses is that when the antecedent is unknown, non-existent, or not yet identified, we use the subjunctive.

Let’s go a bit more into detail:

The Subjunctive with Hypothetical or Desired Antecedents

The verbs buscar, necesitar, and quereroften trigger the subjunctive because we use these verbs to express a desire for something that may or may not exist. More often than not, when one of these verbs is used with a definite antecedent (a noun introduced by elor la, the indicative is used in the relative clause. But when they are used with an indefinite antecedent (a noun introduced by unor una, the subjunctive is generally used in the relative clause.

The Subjunctive with Negated Antecedents

Relative clauses that follow the negated forms of tener, conocer, haber, and existirtake the subjunctive.

Relative Clauses in Questions

In questions, the verb in the relative clause is commonly used in the subjunctive. This is the case when there is an element of doubt and the speaker is not sure whether the antecedent exists.

Relative Pronouns

In these lessons, you saw the following relative pronouns:

Spanish	English
el cual, la cual, las cuales	that, which, who, whom
el que, la que, las que	that, which, who, whom
que	that, which, who, whom
quien, quienes	who, whom

Let’s take a look at some examples of how they are used:

examples
Busco una compañera en la cual confíe. I'm looking for a roommate who I trust.
Busco un compañero con el cual pueda contar. I'm looking for a roommate who I can count on.
Busco alguien que sepa limpiar. I'm looking for someone who knows how to clean.
Son personas a quienes puedo pedirles ayuda. They're people who I can ask for help.

Read more about relative pronouns in the following articles:

• Relative Pronouns in Spanish

• Relative Pronouns "Donde," "Lo Que," "Lo Cual", and "Cuyo"

Quiz Yourself!

Want more practice with the vocabulary you learned in these lessons? Click here!

Spanish Conversation

Fantastic! Let's put the grammar and vocab from above to the test in the following example of a conversation in Spanish.

Marcos:

Tienes un piso nuevo, ¿verdad? ¿Qué tipo de compañero de piso buscas, Laura?

You have a new apartment, don’t you? What kind of roommate are you looking for, Laura?

Laura:

Sí. Busco una compañera con la que divida tareas. ¡Necesito ayuda!

Yeah. I'm looking for a roommate who I can share chores with. I need help!

Marcos:

Es verdad. Trabajas mucho. ¿Qué más buscas?

That’s true. You work a lot. What else are you looking for?

Laura:

Busco alguien que no soporte el desorden y que pague siempre.

I'm looking for someone who can't stand messes and who always pays.

Marcos:

Muy bien. ¿Buscas alguien que hable portugués?

Great. Are you looking for someone who speaks Portuguese?

Laura:

No. Busco alguien que hable alemán. ¡Estudio alemán, no portugués!

No. I’m looking for someone who speaks German. I’m studying German, not Portuguese!

Want to learn more about how to find the perfect roommate in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• Furnish Your Apartment in Spanish

• How to Write an Address in Spanish

• How to Rent an Apartment in Spanish