Sequence of Tenses in Spanish

Quick Answer

La concordancia de tiempos(sequence of tenses) is a useful rule of agreement between the tense of a main clause and that of a subordinate clause. It helps you choose the correct subjunctive tense to use in a subordinate clause.

Main and Subordinate Clauses in Subjunctive Sentences

Before delving into what the sequence of tenses is and how it works, let’s first learn how to identify a main clause and a subordinate clause in a subjunctive sentence.

The main clause—also called the independent clause—contains a verb in the indicative and typically appears at the beginning of the sentence. If the main clause contains a WEIRDO verb, it triggers the use of the subjunctive in the subordinate—or dependent—clause. In most subjunctive sentences, the subordinate clause is introduced by que(that).

In si(if) clauses, the order may be reversed. The subordinate clause may appear at the beginning of the sentence after si, with the main clause following.

Sequence of Tenses in the Present

If the WEIRDO verb in the independent clause is in the present indicative, future indicative, future perfect indicative, or the imperative mood, then the verb that comes after the que will be conjugated in the present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive.

Whether you use the present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive depends on if the action has already happened or not. Use the present subjunctive if the action happens at the same time or after the independent clause. If the action in the subjunctive clause has already happened, use the present perfect subjunctive.

Let’s take a look at some examples!

examples
Mi mamá quiere que me case con un hombre rico. My mom wants me to marry a rich man.
Me molesta que no hayas solicitado un trabajo. It bothers me that you haven’t applied for a job.
Si el dolor continúa, será importante que consultes con un médico. If the pain persists, it will be important that you consult a doctor.
Dile que no se preocupe. Tell her not to worry.

Sequence of Tenses in the Past

If the WEIRDO verb in the independent clause is in the preterite indicative, imperfect indicative, conditional indicative, or the past perfect indicative, then the subjunctive verb that follows will be conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive or past perfect subjunctive.

The imperfect subjunctive is used when the action in the dependent clause happened at the same time or after the independent clause. If the action in the subjunctive clause happened prior to the indicative clause, the past perfect subjunctive is used.

Check out these examples!

examples
Esperaba que tú me llevaras al aeropuerto. I was hoping you could take me to the airport.
Me gustaría que me ayudaras con esto. I’d like you to help me with this.
Mis padres dudaban que ya hubiera acabado mis deberes. My parents doubted that I had already finished my homework.
Le había pedido mil veces que dejara de usar mi maquillaje. I had asked her a thousand times to stop using my makeup.
Si estudiaran, sacarían mejores notas. If they studied, they would get better grades.

Sequence of Tenses Chart

Here is a handy-dandy chart you can memorize in order to determine which subjunctive tense to use:

Independent clause	subordinate clause
present indicative	present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive
future indicative	present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive
future perfect	present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive
command	present subjunctive or present perfect subjunctive
preterite	imperfect subjunctive or past perfect subjunctive
imperfect	imperfect subjunctive or past perfect subjunctive
conditional	imperfect subjunctive or past perfect subjunctive
past perfect	imperfect subjunctive or past perfect subjunctive

Exceptions

There are instances in which the subjunctive tense used is not determined by the time of the verb in the dependent clause, but rather the time of the actual event.

The following examples are exceptions to the sequence of tenses:

examples
No creo que Victoria llegara a tiempo. I don’t believe that Victoria arrived on time.
Me sorprende que no me haya dicho adiós antes de salir. It surprises me that he didn't say goodbye before leaving.