Is There a Future Subjunctive in Spanish

The future subjunctive is the most elusive verb tense of Spanish. It isnt mentioned in many textbooks for Spanish students, and its absent from most conjugation tables. But it still is understood by many Spanish speakers and finds occasional use. Verb Form Has Disappeared From Everyday Use Much like verb forms such as wanteth and saith in English, the future subjunctive in Spanish is all but obsolete. Youre extremely unlikely to hear it used in everyday speech; the only times youre likely to come across it are in literature, in some legal language, in especially flowery language, and in a few phrases such as Venga lo que viniere (come what may, or, literally, what is coming is what will come) or Adà ³nde fueres haz lo que vieres (wherever you go, do what you see, or,  roughly, when in Rome do what the Romans do). It is fairly common in plays from the Golden Age, so it appears that at one time it was used in both speech and writing. But today it has all but disappeared. Fortunately, if you ever have the occasion where you need to know the future subjunctive, its fairly easy to learn if you already know the r form (the more common form) of the imperfect subjunctive. The -ra- in the imperfect subjunctive ending is replaced by -re-, so the future subjunctive forms of hablar, for example, are hablare, hablares, hablare, hablà ¡remos, hablareis and hablaren. Generally, today the present subjunctive is used for both present and future tenses where the subjunctive mood would otherwise be called for. Thus, in a sentence such as espero que me dà © un regalo (I hope she will give me a present) or no creo que venga (I dont believe hell come), the present subjunctive (dà © and venga) is used even though were talking about an event that might happen in the future. You have no need to learn the future subjunctive for  competent use of the language, just as the foreign learner of English typically has no need to learn the verb forms of Shakespeare or the King James Version of the Bible. Future Subjunctive in Literature In literature, the future subjunctive is often used in clauses following si (if) and cuando (when), such as in si tuvieres mucho, da con abundancia (if you have much, give generously). In those cases now wed usually use the present indicative with si and the present subjunctive with cuando. In current legal usage, where the future subjunctive is most common today, the form is used mostly in cases involving an indefinite person (translated one who or he who) as in el que hubiere reunido mayorà ­a absoluta de votos serà ¡ proclamado Presidente de la Repà ºblica (the one who receives an absolute majority of votes will be proclaimed president of the Republic). Sample Sentences Using the Future Subjunctive Lo que hablares lo hablarà ¡s a bulto. (What you speak you will speak without thinking. This is literary use; in modern Spanish, the future subjunctive would be replaced by the present subjunctive.) Ésta es la ley para el que hubiere tenido plaga de lepra, y no tuviere mà ¡s para su purificacià ³n. (This is the law for the one who has leprosy and who doesnt have the means for getting purified. The is from an old translation of the Bible; in modern versions, the present subjunctive is used in both instances.) No pueden ser tutores las personas de mala conducta o que no tuvieren manera de vivir conocida. (Persons of ill conduct or those who have no known means of support cannot be legal guardians. This is legal language taken from current regulations in Spain.) En los establecimientos que vendieren otros productos, solo permitirà ¡n la entrada a los menores con el fin de que compren otros productos diferentes a los licores. (In establishments that sell other products, the entry of minors will be permitted only if they are buying products other than liquors. This is excerpt from current Costa Rican regulations.) Key Takeaways Much like obsolete verb forms found in English literature from Shakespeares day, the Spanish future subjunctive is a verb form that once was common but is no longer has everyday use.In modern Spanish, the future subjunctive has been replaced by the present subjunctive, although the future subjunctive still has some formal legal usage.The future subjunctive is conjugated in the same way as the imperfect subjunctive, except that the -ra- in the ending becomes -re-.