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Paul, I’ve only just discovered your channel and I am so impressed with the way you explain and teach Spanish. I retired to Andalucia in Spain 6 years ago knowing no Spanish (only por favor, gracias and the most important una cerveza 😁) I realised very quickly that it was pointless trying to learn Spanish using text books and some formal language classes. What’s important is to be able to have conversations with native Spanish speakers. Gradually, by using KZfaq and watching Spanish TV with subtitles I’ve reached a level where I understand and speak Spanish fairly well but not with any degree of fluency or consistency and that is where I expected to stay. However, watching your videos has given me a renewed desire to improve my learning. Your explanations of the use of the subjunctive in everyday conversation has been an eye opener for me. Thank you so much and please continue with your excellent method of teaching which is so natural and easy to follow. Hombre, eres el mejor!

This KZfaq channel is the best one I had found. I always am able to apply my learning after every video

I am fairly fluent in Spanish but still watch your videos because you have great explanations. Keep up the good work! Thanks for posting!

My sequence: 1. Indicative 2. preterite 3. imperfect 4. present subjunctive 5. imperfect subjunctive Since learning a language cannot be learned over night, you have to crawl before you walk, you have to walk before you run. You still have to learn "conditional, future, imperative, prepositions, etc." In actuality you have to learn them all in whatever sequence after the indicative to be able to communicate correctly. One without the other would be bad spanish so it takes a hell of a process. Also I think the one example could be said without the subjunctive verb (de) by using (frente). "quiero una casa frente al mar...quiero una casa frente a las montañas." Double check it for me Paul!!!! Good stuff!!!

This information is gold. I have been studying Spanish for a while, and I have used conjugation charts and sample sentences but I wish I started this approach from the beginning with these tenses. It would have certainly accelerated my progress. But it’s never too late. This is a great way to approach this beautiful language.

Another great vid. Qroo Paul's an awesome Spanish teacher.

Having studied for many years (up to intermediate + level) I can tell you that this approach is spot on, especially the benefit of learning the present subjunctive straight after the present indicative. All these videos are great for revision too. My heart felt thanks Qroo Paul. (Una pregunta: ¿Qué significa Qroo?).

My Spanish is like a jigsaw puzzle with a lot of pieces missing. Now I'm starting to learn Brazilian Portuguese. My knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but I'm afraid I'll slide into Portuspanglish. Glad I found your channel.

Excelente video Sr. Paul. Gracias por grabarlo.

Such a good teacher...! I studied French, German, Spanish, Latin, ancient & modern Greek, then had to work in the US, raise a family and focus on other things. Forgot a lot but still have a synapse or 2. I remember moments of fluency when the subjunctive came naturally. When it clicks it is a real rush! Now trying really hard to rewire my old brain for Spanish. Your channel is the bomb!

This video and your suggestions are priceless for learning Spanish in a conversational way. Thank you!

Thank you Paul, things are finally dropping into place. You are amazing. Please keep doing your videos, you instinctively know what we are struggling with.

Thank you! Just subscribed & can't wait to start going through your videos. Have a great night!

Thanks a million! Million de gracias!!!

Love your lessons!

Recently came across this site and love this 'different' aspect towards Spanish learning. I'm attending Spanish classes in Spain, at this moment..but honestly find these videos much more useful and informative. Just started viewing your very first videos and slowly working-up to the most recent. Appreciate your dedication towards helping others learn Spanish.

Muy bueno Paul! Excelente.

Great video y advice-keep them coming!!!

Yay thank u for this guide ❤

Wow! Coming out hitting heavy with the subjunctive as #2! I'm 33 and started learning Spanish when I was 8. I have lived in Mexico 2 years and my partner is a Spanish speaker..... and after all that time I'm still constantly struggling to correctly use the subjunctive .... but it's like you mentioned, classes and courses don't mention the subjunctive until waaaaay later on so it is like a sucker punch when you think you're actually doing pretty well

I live here in Medellín and I completely agree with learning the subjunctive. The subjunctive mood verb form is fun to use! I love these videos. They help me be a better communicator and receive tons of compliments. Thanks Qroo..

Very well organized 👏 it’s taken me these last three years in Mexico to figure out on my own everything you said in this video plus the idea of using chunks. I don’t know that I would have come up with the same tense/mood order list. So I thank you del fondo de mi corazón por eso. I use almost 20 different sources (last count) to study Spanish. from Podcasts, to online dictionaries, platforms, and apps, I even bought an actual paper book in Spanish by Annabelle Hernandez last week. Turns out that reading a book also works well. I appreciate the way you organize things and simplify them. Thanks.

Thank you for breaking this down.

Love your videos so much. It makes so much sense to learn the subjunctive conjugations early. I also think English speakers should learn the gerund early on as well.

Mind blowing 🤯 thank you so much.

Gracias Paul, eres muy util con estos videos, me gusta como puedes explicarlo tan facil. 🔥

Thanks a ton Paul, very helpful for me!

Loved it!! If I could give you a 100 thumbs up, I would!! You make learning Spanish so much easier. Your method sounds so obvious but obviously it's not. Haha. Well, I am very grateful for your continued dedication to find a better way to help all of us learn and hopefully, one day, master the Spanish language. Also, thanks for the confidence boost. I know I can do it!! 💪💪 Thanks Paul!!

I have often wondered about this, and this really helps to narrow down the things to focus on instead of wandering all over the place. Thank you.

Thanks Paul this helps with that overwhelming feeling of to many tenses😊

Your advice in this video is a HUGE gift to beginners who choose to follow your advice. In fact, instructors in schools and writers of textbooks should follow your advice!

You’re awesome Paul

Oh looks like I really need to learn subjunctive ahora mismo. Thanks for the tips!

Excellent lesson. Very clear and perfect for my intermediate level

Absolutely nailed it! So logical; the present/imperfect subjunctive used to be the last of the verb tenses taught, so much so that one got the impression that this was something that you would only need if you wanted to feel that you had mastered Spanish.

I saw an Amazon truck driving by . So that means you are back in Florida. I really enjoy watching your videos. Keep them coming.

Excellent, Paul !!! Thanks.🤠🍷🍷🍓🍓

This is GREAT Paul!!! I have studied spanish all my life and speak it fairly well but you have a way of simplifying it. Keep it up! I love seeing these videos. Muchísimas gracias…

I wish i,d discovered you years ago. You explain stuff so easily and i,m learning so much. I,m in malaga spain and have given all my friends the links to you. Thank you so much for taking the boredom out of learning grammar.

You are an excellent teacher!

Very useful Paul. Thank you. I live in Chile where the Spanish is quite challenging. Love the way you break things down. Also helps me as an English teacher when explaining to my students.

Another super helpful video

¡Gracias!

I really like this video because I want to be effective in my Spanish learning. By the way, I like all your other videos too. 😊 Gracias.

Your assertion of the importance of the present subjunctive confirmed suspicions I had developed over time, and I agree--why is this not taught right after the present indicative to give people an understanding of how the language is actually used? The subjunctive does exist in English, but it's rare enough that a foreigner will be ready excused for not knowing how and when it's used; not so in Spanish! So I'm happy to have seen this video, and will alter my study to ensure that I'm focusing on these five (or six) tenses first.

I wish that I had seen your videos when I started learning Spanish. Your method and explanations make so much sense. Thank you.

Ive been loving this series, I’m going to Medellin in 2 weeks!

I just revisited this video so I can start expanding/improving my grammar. Thanks again.

Tenías razón estaba sorprendida pensé que ibas a incluir el imperfecto del subjuntivo en vez del condicional. Genial.

Hi, I am new to your channel, and so excited to have found you. ❤

I gave this video a well deserved thumbs up. Then I put it on my play lists of "general Spanish tenses." You are the strongest advocate of "subjunctive early" I have ever found on the internet. Keep upbthe good work.

Thanks Paul for the videos!!! I've been learning for about a year. Only recently i discovered the past and present particles. or the equivalent of "ing" and "ed" endings. I couldn't believe how easy they where to learn because they don't have a 6 way "chart". and you can speak in past, present or future ONLY knowing the conjugation chart of estar. To a beginner its easier to say "estuve + present participial" than "yo + oh wait... I forgot the the chart for whatever verb I learned". Also it probably sounds more natural to say in many situations. For example: "I was speaking and people laughed". Instead of "I spoke, people laughed". I would love to see a video with your about this topic ! I know What I describe is a bit of a lazy cheater method to speak. But it is also good to know for listening. When you hear all those "ido"s ,"ado"s. and "iendo"s. I am posting this comment because after a year of watching spanish videos i never seen a video about it. Any would have been helpful early in my struggle!!! LOL

I speak Spanish fluently and I live in Spain. Qroo is spot on about the subjunctive. Absolutely right. Start learning it as soon as you can.

I like the Gecko on the window next to you. I am watching one on the wall now. I'm in Puerto Vallarta. You are a great teacher. Thank you.

Terrific video!

More videos like this please. Talking about how to efficiently self teach (Pareto Principle). Thanks!

my Spanish is perfect, but for some mysterious reason I still watch these videos :)

Thanks for ranking these tenses. I think the simple Ir a + infinitive to express future should be ranked #5 because of usefulness & simplicity in only needing to conjugate the one verb ir. Gracias por la lección.

If I had to choose 5 it would be- Present tense, Present participle tense ("ing" words), Future tense, Simple past tense and then the Imperfect tense. Folks teach subjunctive last because its a "maybe you will and maybe you won't- who knows?" sentences. Thanks for your video.

I have to go with Present, Preterite and then Imperative. I find that I use the Preterite the most. You can cover a lot of basic sentences with those three and be well understood. I agree that it's important to have an early understanding and be able to recognize the subjunctive but when listening to spoke Spanish I find that it's used only in small fraction of the time and only in compound sentence structure. I know this won't be a popular opinion with you Paul but with all the irregular verbs and the AR/ER/IR variations there is a ton to cover with just those.

Thank you for another well-done video.

At the risk of being redundant, another excellent, informative video. I love the subjunctive and have been studying it a lot lately, mostly with an audio course. The imperfect subjunctive is really interesting. It has two sets of verb endings and you can use either one, both are correct! I've never come across this before, in any language. You mentioned previously that you might do a separate video on the imperfect subjunctive, I hope you do.

I'm so glad I found your videos. I'm hoping to move to Spain soon and am trying to learn as much Spanish as possible, mostly by myself which is hard! I've been ignoring the massive elephant in the room (subjunctive) but realise now that I'm mid Intermediate level that I just have to bite the bullet! Am making my way through all your videos in no particular order and love them!

Lo compré el libro con su link. Gracias.

Gracias por todo Pablo. Voy a visitar España y Colombia el próximo año Espero mejorar en espanol para fin de año

I was stuck . Felt like I can’t go any further . Then I found your channel! Thank you. siento que hay estudiantes de español que son como yo. Me siento confiado ahora. Sorry if my Spanish is incorrect.

So, Paul's approach and content are excellent. I have seen so many others explain grammatical topics from all the tired, ordinary, ineffective paradigms that plague our educational system. He speaks from very practical experience, and his Spanish is rather refined, and his exegeses are quite good. I rarely see someone at his level. I was active in this field about 25 years ago and fortunately had an excellent linguistics professor who really empowered me to acquire this language. I 100% agree with Paul's assertion that the present subjunctive should come so much earlier, and I further agree that it should go hand-in-hand with the present indicative since the conjugations follow parallel structure for the most part until you have irregular first person singular forms or irregular -IR verbs, which have unique conjugations in the 3rd person preterite, the gerund and the nosotros and vosotros forms of the present subjunctive but otherwise, the present indicative and subjunctive follow the same paradigm with the opposite endings. At universities, the present subjunctive is taught toward the end of the secondary semester, and in high school, it is as he mentioned. It makes it appearance years after the student has been working on the language. It only makes acquiring this skill counterintuitive and difficult at best. If I had made a video on this topic, I would have included all the tenses/moods he mentioned but this would be my spin: 1. present indicative 2. present subjunctive 3. imperative mood (commands)* - They are so crazy common and likely more common that the present subjunctive forms, and many of the present subjunctive forms coincide with the imperative forms. So, it might as well be taught at this point. The key to acquiring this structure is knowing when you are using a command in your own language. If English is your native language, it is when you use a verb form without mentioning a human or animal immediately preceding the verb and the verb appears as it does in the infinitive such as: Go home. Be quiet. Take your time. Do not worry. 4. preterite indicative 5. imperfect indicative 6. present conditional - This is often taught as a mood like the indicative, subjunctive and imperative, and I would agree with this assertion. 7. imperfect subjunctive The conditional tenses (present and past perfect conditional) are both very common, and the perfective tenses are super common too, and the conditional and perfective tenses are all VERY similar to English. So, acquiring them does not take much at all because they are so similar to each other and analogous to English structure. One point that I would add to his explanation on the subjunctive and when to use it is the following: Think of it in terms of one part trying to get another party to do something. If there is an attempt to change someone else's actions/behavior, then the subjunctive should appear in the subordinate clause or que-clause. This is what Paul refers to as the change in subject. Examples: Quiero sacar buenas notas. (infinitive due to no attempt at changing someone's actions) Quiero que mis estudiantes saquen buenas notas. (subjunctive due to implied action to change their behavior) Quiero llegar a la hora. ((infinitive due to no attempt at changing someone's actions) Espero que llegues a la hora (The implication is please arrive on time. This is an overt attempt to influence behavior.

Just found your channel and it’s super helpful’

The minimalist approach and build on that. It may not be pretty, but it gets things done.

Learning Spanish has given me greater appreciation of how much simpler English grammar is.

I basically agree but I'd include the correponding continuous forms quite early. They don't cause any trouble anyway as they are very similar in form and usage. You should be familiar with forms like "estoy trabajando". They are quite frequent in usage but as I said they are easy to pick up.

Saw a Pimsleur ad when this started... "after 30 days, you'll be speaking in a near-native accent," the man juggling fire said with nowhere near a native accent. Ha! Love this video! Qroo Paul knows his stuff. "I know, I know. Believe me, I know!" Spoken like a true language learner!

Hi Qroo Paul can you do a vid on listening comprehension. How do you speed up your listening? Do you listen in groups of words too?

My Dude! You are great

❣️Love this approach ❣️ All the years I simply didn’t get it why they were teaching “Quiero un café” (sounding quite rude in many Spanish speaking countries) instead of “Quisiera un café” (being the polite form) to beginners 🙄 Yes it’s subjuntivo and the easiest way to teach chunks immediately instead of forcing people to adjust their hardly learned Spanish after a year or two for just being polite when the official plan is saying now it’s time they can learn subjuntivo as well. It’s soooo important in daily life that I feel it’s a crime not to teach it early enough for daily use! Thanks, Paul, for all your valuable input you are granting through your videos!

Great advice. Very frustrating when classes teach you a certain order, and you get out in the real world and notice the native speakers don’t talk like that. Thank you for not mentioning future tense-we we’re taught that tense as 2nd year in high school and rarely hear it in real life.

Just found your channel & sub'd....I really like and need your lessons. ...y mi esposa es una rolla!

Paul, you mentioned in a video that a viewer had suggested that you stop helping us with your amazing videos. I hope you won’t take their comment to heart. I personally see their comment as a sign that you are making an incredible contribution with your work. It’s hard to understand why, but there are people who get extremely jealous when they see someone else enjoying success. I hope that you keep up the fabulous work and extremely enjoy the success of it! If some people get really jealous you will know you’re doing it right.

Excellent choice of tenses and moods. The future tense is so easy, but I admit I use "ir" much of the time, as in "I'm going to..." I started Spanish in school at 12 years old, took classes every semester through college and have continued with classes for the past 65 years. I'm more interested in reading, writing, watching movies and talking with people than language degrees, so I never did complete one. I didn't even know that the subjunctive mood existed until I was a junior in high school. That's also when I found out that it existed in English. But in Spanish the subjunctive is so important! The things I didn't learn in school always amaze me. For example, I never heard the verb "placticar" until I moved to Mexico. My friends always say, "You speak Spanish very well." And I always reply, "Eres muy amable." Good work Paul.

Say I told you so when you hit 100k🎉 You have helped me tremendously! I tapped out too soon too long ago. Back on now all I needed was the right Teacher! Can’t thank you enough!🙏✝️👼🏿

Great video! And I also learned a new English word as well: preterite. I don't know why I never happened to stumble across it on my path of learning English.

This is an interesting approach I will have to try. I am thinking about having AI write Q n A's into the Memorion phone app I use. I like how you mentioned thinking in sections. This is same as done by _Spanish with Paul_ and *_pro spanish_*. The "chunk" learning of whole phrases is a bit harder for me ( _Spring Spanish_ ). I prefer the _Learn Spanish_ channel (aka _pro spanish_ ) where you build sentences around an action by adding different sections to build what he calls a pyramid. The last thing I need in a course for learning spanish is the "consequences" portion, usually a test of some sort that forces you to remember rather than just watching a video, like you do when you pause and wait for answers. I am currently doing this with the Memorion app where I can play match type games. You have the basis for a great course. We just need about 1000 more questions. 😀

Spanish is my native language. It is a beautiful language. I really love it. I've taught Spanish in several universities, colleges and high schools in both Canada and the U.S. for about four decades. The biggest hurdle teaching the Spanish Subjunctive Mood to speakers of English is that they don't know it in English. One must explain a grammatical concept (in a foreign language) to language learners who do not know it in their own first--and usually only language. Simply stated, they have no frame of reference whatsoever. Mind you, it is not the students' fault. It is that we do not teach proper grammar in the K-12 system anymore. When you see a person who cannot tell the difference between "it" and "it's"; it is not a spelling problem. It is a grammar issue. That individual was not taught Parts of Speech properly. Grammar might not be pleasant, but is is very important. My wife (also Spanish college prof) gets mad at me because I keep on "correcting" the Subjunctive of English speakers on television. This also applies to Canadians and Brits, by the way. Speakers of English don't seem to understand the concept of the Subjunctive, never mind the very simple verb conjugations it has in English. The verb TO BE has only one conjugation for all pronouns in the Subjunctive (WERE): If I were (si yo fuera/fuese) If you were (si tú fueras/fueses) If he/she/it were (si él/ella/esto fuera/fuese) If we were (si nosotros/as fuéramos/fuésemos) If you were (si ustedes fueran/fuesen) If they were (si ellos/ellas fueran/fuesen) You would think speakers on English could remember one word (were). But, they can't. Why? As I said: They do not understand the concept of what the Subjunctive Mood does. They are permanently trapped in the Indicative Mood and cannot get out of it. I will teach you how to get out of that rut and speak proper Spanish. If you are deep into grammar, you'll know that I'm comparing the English Subjunctive with Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive. But, that's way above most people's pay grade. Incidentally, I wrote between brackets the two ways we have for the Subjunctive Mood in Spanish. One word in English (for all the pronouns) and a whole bunch of different conjugations (and two verb forms) in Spanish. Spanish has a much more complex grammar than English. English is much harder to pronounce though. And now, please allow me to toot my horn horn. I have a couple of books that will help you learn Spanish the easy way: www.amazon.com/EASY-STEPS-SPANISH-COLLEGE-SCHOOL-ebook/dp/B01550349S/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1ARAMSXEKGVO2&keywords=David+A.+Cuban&qid=1680369743&sprefix=david+a.+cuban%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-10 www.amazon.com/Essential-Absolutely-Survive-Language-Requirement/dp/1537284487/ref=sr_1_11?crid=1ARAMSXEKGVO2&keywords=David+A.+Cuban&qid=1680369840&sprefix=david+a.+cuban%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-11 ONE MORE THING: CHECK OUT SPANISH KZfaq VIDEOS. MY STUDENTS USE THEM EVERY DAY: My Spanish KZfaq videos: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hdWEn7qA1bCygZc.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/er-Vd86YpsemYIE.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ec96a8Kltc3deYE.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mOCVn5Sn2qmUpmg.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/opqFg9hlqJPelIk.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qr2Dfqp0vbbGeKc.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ibeIltR80r7ddp8.html&ab_channel=Dr.DavidWalterAguado

Aprender español conversacional no puede ser mejor que esto.👍🏼🙌🏼🗣

Estoy de acuerdo re subjuntivo!

I love your tutorial! It’s helping me learn German lol. I’m a Spanish speaker, and I actually apply your advices to German, which also has complex conjugations. This tutorial is of great help and you’re a great teacher. Only thing I notice is your D’s are a little different. I say to-tho (todo), you say toro. I wonder if that’s regional.

You were certainly right about two things; the present tense being taught and the subjunctive NOT being taught (at least not at the beginning of Spanish studies). I have two Spanish courses on DVD for beginners (the second course is a continuation of the first). Each course consists of 30 half hour lectures (plus oral and written exercises). The first course discusses the present tense in about 10 of the lectures (although other topics are discussed in each of those lectures). The subjunctive is not mentioned at all until lectures 26 to 29 of the SECOND course - and only the present subjunctive (but I have a textbook on Spanish verb tenses that discusses the other forms of the subjunctive). Besides the present tense the first course covers the present progressive and the preterite. The second course covers the imperfect, the present perfect, the future, the conditional, and the present subjunctive. In my case I don't think it matters too much that the subjunctive is not taught near the beginning since I don't know anyone who speaks Spanish so I have nobody to practice with. I'll just watch videos of Spanish speakers on the internet.

You are a fantastic teacher! I'm a beginner, although I have studied Spanish in the past. I would love it if you would speak a tiny bit slower.

I'm Hispanic and was not taught spanish at home. I got a D in high school spanish. Determined I took 1 year of college Spanish. My Spanish is lousy. I was ALWAYS told that subjunctive was far off high level Spanish. Your video just catapulted my Spanish. I know some subjjunctive, but I just learned how common it is - and I know tons more than I have ever thought - THANK YOU!!!

The top of my list is Impertivos. I said if I was gonna relearn Spanish or any language, start with imperatives. I started by, ok you conjugate verbs, present tense, then this is the past form. Then there are two past forms. Fiddled around with future, discovered conditional which was helpful to make sense of sentences, then the present subjunctive and now recognizing past subjunctive.But, I realized I can’t say simple stuff like come here, look a this, give us, tell him, and it was super weird.

presente indicativo Presente de subjuntivo Preterito Pretérito imperfecto Conditional

I would argue that the imperfect subjunctive is more used and more important than the conditional mood, even to express conditional ideas ("si fuera... si hubiera sido...") but great video nevertheless

Yeah, learning all the moods/tenses with conjugations takes some mental gymnastics and effort to master.

I’d say present perfect is a pretty common one. Like he visto, has visto, etc. I hear spanish speakers use it a lot.

6:56 In my opinion (English, German and French teacher here), I see this more as indirect speech than conditional.

Love you man. So thankful for your lessons! But you go a little fast. Ok I am not there yet where I can really follow easily. Just saying. Must love you, I am a little behind. Cheers

Para elevar su conocimiento académico del español a un nivel más alto, es recomendable que Ud lea literatura, por ej trabajos del Premio Nobel colombiano Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Si no, su nivel continuará sonando como el idioma de un trabajador migratorio.

Tienes TODO la razón. Pasé algún tiempo en España y si no puedes utilizar el subjuntivo adecuadamente, no estás hablando español. Lo bueno es que hay partes de España en las que incluso los españoles no pueden utilizarlo correctamente tampoco. Por ejemplo, en País Vasco, la influencia de su idioma materno, vasco (o euskera) hace que los vascos produzcan frases así: “si yo podría comprar un coche, lo haría” … que suena fatal a la mayoría de otros españoles. La oración correcta sería “si yo pudiera (o pudiese) comprar un coche, lo haría”. Pero en cuanto domines el subjuntivo, presente y pasado, estás de camino a hablar el castellano con fluidez.

Not saying that the subjunctive isn’t an incredibly important tense , but I have a hard time accepting that it should be learned before the imperfecto/preterito. Learning how to conjugate in the present,past and future will get anybody 80% of what they need. If you mess up and use the indicative in place of the subjunctive it will sound bad, but the essential meaning will be there and understood. Granted in regular verbs the subjunctive is relatively easy to learn, but there are so many irregular verbs, as there are also with the preterito, that the ease of regular subjunctive construction is largely negated because most of the principal verbs are irregular.