Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive
El pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo - or imperfecto subjuntivo for short - somewhat unusually has two forms which are interchangeable!
It is used to express different things: past actions, as a courtesy formula, in exclamations that refer to actions of impossible fulfillment, or in conditional sentences.
For example
Me dijo que pensara en su propuesta.
He told me to think about his proposal.
Quisiera hablar con el director.
I would like to speak to the director.
¡Ya quisieras tú un marido como el mío! (Pero no lo tienes.)
You would like a husband like mine! (But you don't.)
¡Ojalá fuese martes! (Pero no lo es.)
I wish it were Tuesday! (But it's not.)
See also:
