Conjugate stem-changing -car verbs (c > qu) in El Presente de Subjuntivo (present subjunctive)

Posted by Inma Sánchez

In: Level B1, Verbs Tenses & Conjugation, El Presente de Subjuntivo, Verbo irregular

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Spanish verbs ending in -car replace the -c- with a -qu- in El Presente de Subjuntivo. This is to preserve the sound from the infinitive.
Here is the conjugation of buscar (to look for) affected by this spelling change:

yo	busque
tú	busques
él / ella / Ud.	busque
nosotros / nosotras	busquemos
vosotros/vosotras	busquéis
ellos / ellas / Uds.	busquen

Read and listen to these examples:

Deja que yo busque la carretera en el mapa.
Let me look for the road on the map.

Es bueno que busques más opciones.
It is good that you are looking for other options.

Quiero que Matías busque trabajo.
I want Matías to look for work.

Busquemos otro bar. Este es muy ruidoso.
Let's look for another bar. This one is very noisy.

Queremos que busquéis una solución rápidamente.
We want you to look for a solution quickly.

Dudo que busquen un coche deportivo.
I doubt they are looking for a sports car.

There are other useful verbs that have the same c > qu spelling change. For example: aparcar (to park), modificar (to modify), explicar (to explain) or equivocarse (to get something wrong).
Look at and listen to these examples:

Será mejor que aparques lejos del centro.
It'd be better if you park far from the town centre.

No modifiquéis los informes de ventas.
Do not modify the sales reports.

Es necesario que nos expliquen bien la situación.
It is vital that they explain the situation clearly.

Aunque yo me equivoque a veces, casi siempre tengo razón.
Despite getting things wrong sometimes, I am right most of the time.

Los alumnos quieren que el profesor explique de nuevo la lección.
The pupils want the teacher to explain the lesson again.

Tan pronto como aparquéis, avisadnos.
As soon as you park, let us know.

See List of -car verbs changing c > qu in all forms in El Presente de Subjuntivo

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

El Presente de Subjuntivo

Verbo irregular

Examples and resources

Dudo que busquen un coche deportivo.
I doubt they are looking for a sports car.

Es necesario que nos expliquen bien la situación.
It is vital that they explain the situation clearly.

Tan pronto como aparquéis, avisadnos.
As soon as you park, let us know.

Queremos que busquéis una solución rápidamente.
We want you to look for a solution quickly.

No modifiquéis los informes de ventas.
Do not modify the sales reports.

Los alumnos quieren que el profesor explique de nuevo la lección.
The pupils want the teacher to explain the lesson again.

Busquemos otro bar. Este es muy ruidoso.
Let's look for another bar. This one is very noisy.

Aunque yo me equivoque a veces, casi siempre tengo razón.
Despite getting things wrong sometimes, I am right most of the time.

Será mejor que aparques lejos del centro.
It'd be better if you park far from the town centre.

Deja que yo busque la carretera en el mapa.
Let me look for the road on the map.

Quiero que Matías busque trabajo.
I want Matías to look for work.

Es bueno que busques más opciones.
It is good that you are looking for other options.

Q&A Forum 2 questions, 4 answers

Why is será translated as it'd be and not it will be?

Asked 4 months ago

InmaKwiziq language super star

Hola Emanuel

In this sentence:

Será mejor que aparques lejos del centro.

(It'd be better if you park far from the town centre.)

We are using the future tense in Spanish but it is not referring to a future event. It is a way to make a suggestion. "Será mejor que..." is used to suggest something to someone.

In English this suggestion doesn't work with the future tense, you need to use the conditional instead to convey the same as in Spanish. "It'd be better if..."

Sometimes translations are not literal. We try to use the most natural translation in English all the time.

I hope this helps

Un saludo

Inma

Like04 months ago

Great. Thank you.

Like04 months ago

Emanuel asked:View original

Why is será translated as it'd be and not it will be?

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Subjunctive vs imperative (moods)

I believe this is the use of buscar in the imperative not the subjunctive. I think this is the informal (negative) command form. Many forms are the same, but are not from the same parts of grammar. Subjunctive mood and the imperative mood (commands) are not the same.

No select ... buscasbuscáisbuscesbusques dinero en mi bolso porque no hay. (Don't look for money in my handbag because there isn't any.)Conjugate the tú form of "buscar" in El Presente de Subjuntivo

Asked 6 months ago

The second paragraph was a copy/paste from the mini quiz. Sorry it came out so strange when saving the question/statement about the lesson.

Like06 months ago

InmaKwiziq language super star

Hola Papi

Any negative command for informal or formal you, or any other pronoun actually, will always be conjugated in the present subjunctive form. Some people call it "negative imperative" but that results in the conjugation of the present subjunctive. This lesson is about conjugation of this tense; that's why the hints state: "conjugate x form of y verb in El Presente de Subjuntivo", and we don't mention the word "command". Not all questions in this lesson are in a command form, as the present subjunctive is used in different situations.

Hope this clarifies your doubt.

Un saludo

Inma

Like06 months ago

Papi asked:View original

Subjunctive vs imperative (moods)

I believe this is the use of buscar in the imperative not the subjunctive. I think this is the informal (negative) command form. Many forms are the same, but are not from the same parts of grammar. Subjunctive mood and the imperative mood (commands) are not the same.

No select ... buscasbuscáisbuscesbusques dinero en mi bolso porque no hay. (Don't look for money in my handbag because there isn't any.)Conjugate the tú form of "buscar" in El Presente de Subjuntivo

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