Conjugate o > ue and z >c change verbs in the present subjunctive tense in Spanish (El Presente de Subjuntivo)

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish

There are only a few Spanish verbs that undergo these two changes in El Presente de Subjuntivo: o > ue and z > c

Almorzar (to have lunch) and forzar (to force) are two of these verbs.

Conjugating almorzar and forzar in El Presente de Subjuntivo in Spanish

  ALMORZAR
to have lunch
FORZAR
to force
 yo almuerce fuerce
  almuerces fuerces
él / ella
usted
almuerce fuerce
nosotros 
nosotras
almorcemos forcemos
vosotros 
vosotras
 almorcéis forcéis  
ellos / ellas
ustedes
almuercen fuercen

 

Notice how the -o- from the infinitive has changed to -ue- in all forms except for nosotros and vosotros.
And -z changes to -c
in all forms (to preserve the original sound from the infinitive.)

Their endings are the same as other regular -ar verbs in El Presente de Subjuntivo.

A mi abuela le gusta que yo almuerce con ella cada lunes.My grandma likes that I have lunch with her every Monday.

Te aconsejo que no fuerces la cerradura, que la vas a romper.I advise you not to force the lock, you'll break it.

No creo que ella fuerce a su hijo a ir al colegio. I don't think she will force her son to go to school.

No es necesario que forcemos tanto el acento en la grabación.It is not necessary that we force the accent too much in the recording.

Tan pronto como almorcéis, recoged la cocina.As soon as you have lunch, tidy up the kitchen.

No es buena idea que tus padres y los míos almuercen juntos.It's not a good idea for your parents and mine to have lunch together.

Other derivatives of the verb forzar follow the same rule, for example:

esforzar = to strain

Te he dicho que no esfuerces tanto la voz.I told you not to strain your voice so much.

esforzarse = to make an effort

Es necesario que os esforcéis un poco más.It is necessary that you make a bigger effort.

reforzar to strengthen

Les pido que refuercen su confianza.I am asking you to strengthen your confidence.

See A2 Spanish verb list: Stem-changing verbs - present tense (o > ue) and Spanish expressions followed by El Subjuntivo 

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Examples and resources

Te aconsejo que no fuerces la cerradura, que la vas a romper.I advise you not to force the lock, you'll break it.
Les pido que refuercen su confianza.I am asking you to strengthen your confidence.
Te he dicho que no esfuerces tanto la voz.I told you not to strain your voice so much.
A mi abuela le gusta que yo almuerce con ella cada lunes.My grandma likes that I have lunch with her every Monday.
Tan pronto como almorcéis, recoged la cocina.As soon as you have lunch, tidy up the kitchen.
No creo que ella fuerce a su hijo a ir al colegio. I don't think she will force her son to go to school.
Es necesario que os esforcéis un poco más.It is necessary that you make a bigger effort.
No es buena idea que tus padres y los míos almuercen juntos.It's not a good idea for your parents and mine to have lunch together.
No es necesario que forcemos tanto el acento en la grabación.It is not necessary that we force the accent too much in the recording.
Clever stuff happening!