Learn about Spanish -uar verbs in El Presente de Subjuntivo
In Spanish, verbs that end in -uar take a written accent on the -u in most El Presente de Subjuntivo conjugations. Two common Spanish verbs ending in -uar are actuar (to act / perform) and continuar (to continue).
Conjugation of Spanish verbs actuar and continuar in El Presente de Subjuntivo
| ACTUAR | CONTINUAR | |
|
yo |
actúe | continúe |
| tú | actúes | continúes |
| él/ella/usted | actúe | continúe |
| nosotros | actuemos | continuemos |
| vosotros | actuéis | continuéis |
| ellos/ustedes | actúen | continúen |
Here are some examples:
Es posible que actúe en la representación de navidad del colegio.I may play a part (act) in the Nativity play at school.
The verb in the infinitive has the stress on the -ar at the end of the word: actu-ar, continu-ar. However, when it is conjugated in El Presente de Subjuntivo, the stress is on the -u- for all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms. For example: actúe, actúes, actúes, actúen / continúe, continúes, continúe, continúen. In the nosotros and vosotros forms, the stress is on the -e at the end of the verb: actuemos, actuéis / continuemos, continuéis.
Other examples with verbs evaluar, insinuar, tatuar.
No es conveniente que insinúes que ella es la culpable de todo.It isn't convenient that you insinuate that it is completely her fault.
Here is a list of Spanish verbs ending in -uar
Important:
Not all verbs that end in -uar follow this rule. For example, some verbs that end in -cuar allow for spellings both (e.g. licuar, adecuar, promiscuar) with and without the written accent, and verbs that end in -guar do not need extra accents at all! They are conjugated like regular -ar verbs.Take for example verbs like adecuar and averiguar.
Conjugation of Spanish verbs adecuar and averiguar in El Presente de Subjuntivo
| ADECUAR | AVERIGUAR | |
|
yo |
adecúe/ adecue | averigüe |
| tú | adecúes/adecues |
averigües |
| él/ella/usted | adecúe/adecue | averigüe |
| nosotros | adecuemos | averigüemos |
| vosotros | adecuéis | averigüéis |
| ellos/ustedes | adecúen/adecuen | averigüen |
Important:
For verbs ending in -guar, like averiguar or apaciguar, their conjugation in El Presente de Subjuntivo has a diéresis on the letter u [ü], that's the name of the symbol formed by the two dots above the letter. In Spanish, the diéresis is only used with the letter u. Omitting it is a spelling mistake. The diéresis on the u means that the letter u must be pronounced (it's not a silent u like in guerra or Guernica)
See also Spanish -uar verbs in the present tense (El Presente: actuar, continuar)
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Examples and resources
Espero que todos actuemos de forma cordial en la reunión de mañana.I hope we all proceed (act) in a cordial way tomorrow at the meeting.
No es conveniente que insinúes que ella es la culpable de todo.It isn't convenient that you insinuate that it is completely her fault.
Es esencial que evaluemos la situación con mucha precisión.It's essential that we evaluate the situation with a lot of precision.
