Hola, Inma,
In a previous reply to Remy, you gave the example:
Quizás Miguel no apruebe.
He may not pass (in the future, he hasn't done the exam yet)
Quizás Miguel no aprobara.
He may not have passed (he already did the exam and we doubt if he passed or not)
Is it possible to use the perfect here
Quizás Miguel no haya aprobado.
and if so, how would the meaning be different from the earlier two examples?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Hola Xose
Yes, you can also use the present perfect subjunctive with quizás (or tal vez)
The perfect tenses are generally used to indicate a past action but an action that we still feel it is connected to the present time. So, in this case, if someone said "quizás Miguel no haya aprobado" we may convey that he took the exam recently and the actions feels very close to the moment of speaking.
The difference with the use of the present subjunctive "quizás Miguel no apruebe" is the same as explained before, with the present subjunctive you're referring to something that is still to happen (Miguel hasn't taken the exam yet or Miguel is still waiting for the results to come out...)
The use of "haya aprobado" means that the exam has already taken place and you still don't know if he passed or not.
The use of the imperfect subjunctive: quizás Miguel aprobara is again referring to a past action where there is a bit more doubt involved and it doesn't link that action to the present time of speaking at all (the way the present perfect does) so if we hear this sentence we automatically think of something in the past with no connection to the present.
Saludos cordiales
Inma
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