Improve Your World in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to improve your world in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• express your desire for change

• use the subjunctive for requests of varying degrees

• talk about municipal issues

Vocabulary

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

Adjectives

Spanish	English
infantil	children’s
público	public

examples
Exijo que modernicen los parques infantiles. I demand they modernize the playgrounds.
Exijo que mejoren la iluminación pública. I demand they improve public lighting.

When we use infantil with juegos(games) or parque(park), the combination of words changes its translation:

Spanish	English
juegos infantiles	playground
parque infantil	playground

Adverb

Spanish	English
correctamente	correctly

examples
Ruego que reciclen los residuos correctamente. I beg that they recycle waste correctly.

Nouns

Spanish	English
el bache	pothole
la banqueta	sidewalk
la cámara	camera
la ciclovía	bike lane
el equipamiento	equipment
la iluminación	lighting
la papelera	trash can
el reciclaje	recycling
el residuo	waste
la seguridad	security

examples
Exijo que arreglen los baches en las calles. I demand they fix the potholes in the streets.
Insisto en que reparen las banquetas. I insist that they repair the sidewalks.
Exijo que instalen cámaras de seguridad. I demand they install security cameras.

Noun Phrases

Spanish	English
el centro deportivo	sports center
el paso de peatones	crosswalk

examples
Insisto en que mejoren los centros deportivos. I insist that they improve the sports centers.
Que aumenten los pasos de peatones. That they put in more crosswalks.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Exigir

Exigir(to demand) is an -ir verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	exija	I demand
tú	exijas	you demand	informal singular you
vos	exijas	you demand	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	exija	he, she demands
usted	exija	you demand	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	exijamos	we demand
vosotros, vosotras	exijáis	you demand	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	exijan	they demand
ustedes	exijan	you demand	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Fumigar

Fumigar(to spray) is an -ar verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	fumigue	I spray
tú	fumigues	you spray	informal singular you
vos	fumigues	you spray	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	fumigue	he, she sprays
usted	fumigue	you spray	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	fumiguemos	we spray
vosotros, vosotras	fumiguéis	you spray	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	fumiguen	they spray
ustedes	fumiguen	you spray	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Implementar

Implementar(to implement) is an -ar verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	implemente	I implement
tú	implementes	you implement	informal singular you
vos	implementes	you implement	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	implemente	he, she implements
usted	implemente	you implement	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	implementemos	we implement
vosotros, vosotras	implementéis	you implement	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	implementen	they implement
ustedes	implementen	you implement	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Incrementar

Incrementar(to increase) is an -ar verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	incremente	I increase
tú	incrementes	you increase	informal singular you
vos	incrementes	you increase	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	incremente	he, she increases
usted	incremente	you increase	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	incrementemos	we increase
vosotros, vosotras	incrementéis	you increase	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	incrementen	they increase
ustedes	incrementen	you increase	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Insistir

Insistir(to insist) is an -ir verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	insista	I insist
tú	insistas	you insist	informal singular you
vos	insistas	you insist	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	insista	he, she insists
usted	insista	you insist	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	insistamos	we insist
vosotros, vosotras	insistáis	you insist	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	insistan	they insist
ustedes	insistan	you insist	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Instalar

Instalar(to install) is an -ar verb that is regular in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	instale	I install
tú	instales	you install	informal singular you
vos	instales	you install	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	instale	he, she installs
usted	instale	you install	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	instalemos	we install
vosotros, vosotras	instaléis	you install	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	instalen	they install
ustedes	instalen	you install	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Mantener

Mantener(to maintain, to keep clean) is an -er verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	mantenga	I maintain
tú	mantengas	you maintain	informal singular you
vos	mantengas	you maintain	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	mantenga	he, she maintains
usted	mantenga	you maintain	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	mantengamos	we maintain
vosotros, vosotras	mantengáis	you maintain	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	mantengan	they maintain
ustedes	mantengan	you maintain	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Modernizar

Modernizar(to modernize) is an -ar verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	modernice	I modernize
tú	modernices	you modernize	informal singular you
vos	modernices	you modernize	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	modernice	he, she modernizes
usted	modernice	you modernize	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	modernicemos	we modernize
vosotros, vosotras	modernicéis	you modernize	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	modernicen	they modernize
ustedes	modernicen	you modernize	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Promover

Promover(to promote) is an -er verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	promueva	I promote
tú	promuevas	you promote	informal singular you
vos	promuevas	you promote	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	promueva	he, she promotes
usted	promueva	you promote	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	promovamos	we promote
vosotros, vosotras	promováis	you promote	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	promuevan	they promote
ustedes	promuevan	you promote	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that promover does not have a stem change in the nosotros or vosotros forms.

Renovar

Renovar(to renovate) is an -ar verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	renueve	I renovate
tú	renueves	you renovate	informal singular you
vos	renueves	you renovate	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	renueve	he, she renovates
usted	renueve	you renovate	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	renovemos	we renovate
vosotros, vosotras	renovéis	you renovate	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	renueven	they renovate
ustedes	renueven	you renovate	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that renovar does not have a stem change in the nosotros or vosotros forms.

Rogar

Rogar(to beg) is an -ar verb that has a stem change in the present subjunctive.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	ruegue	I beg
tú	ruegues	you beg	informal singular you
vos	ruegues	you beg	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	ruegue	he, she begs
usted	ruegue	you beg	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	roguemos	we beg
vosotros, vosotras	roguéis	you beg	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	rueguen	they beg
ustedes	rueguen	you beg	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that renovar the stem change is different in the nosotros and vosotros forms.

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.

In these lessons, we saw the following subjunctive trigger words and phrases:

Spanish	English
exijo que	I demand that
insisto en que	I insist that
pido que	I request that
ruego que	I beg that

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.

Yolanda:

Quiero que mi barrio mejore. Pido que mis representantes hagan cambios.

I want my neighborhood to improve. I request that my representatives make changes.

Rodrigo:

¿Qué quieres que hagan?

What do you want them to do?

Yolanda:

Pido que construyan una biblioteca. Y pido que pongan más juegos infantiles.

I request that they build a library. And I request that they put in more playground equipment.

Rodrigo:

Buenas ideas. ¿Algo más?

Good ideas. Anything else?

Yolanda:

Ruego que promuevan actividades culturales. Para ello, ruego que renueven el centro comunitario.

I beg that they promote cultural activities. In order to do that, I beg that they renovate the community center.

Rodrigo:

Yo solo exijo que fumiguen contra los mosquitos.

I just demand that they spray for mosquitos.

Want to learn more about how to improve your world in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• Expressing Recommendations and Requests with the Subjunctive

• Subjunctive Trigger Words

• How to Give Advice in Spanish