acatar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
acatar — to obey
Use 'acate' (él/ella/usted) or 'acates' (tú) after expressions of doubt, desire, or emotion.
acatar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
The present subjunctive is your go-to for expressing wishes, doubts, emotions, or uncertainty about someone else's action of obeying. It's also used after impersonal expressions.
Notes on acatar in the Present Subjunctive
'Acatar' is regular in the present subjunctive. It follows the standard pattern derived from the 'yo' form of the present indicative ('acato').
Example Sentences
Espero que acates mis instrucciones.
I hope you obey my instructions.
tú
Dudo que él acate la orden sin quejarse.
I doubt he will obey the order without complaining.
él/ella/usted
Quiero que acatemos las reglas.
I want us to obey the rules.
nosotros
Es importante que todos acaten las normas de seguridad.
It's important that everyone obeys the safety regulations.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the present indicative instead of the present subjunctive.
Correct: After verbs expressing desire, doubt, or emotion, use the subjunctive (e.g., 'Espero que acates' not 'Espero que acatas').
Why: These trigger phrases require the subjunctive mood to express the speaker's attitude or subjective state.
Mistake: Forgetting the subjunctive requires a different subject in the dependent clause.
Correct: Ensure the main clause subject is different from the dependent clause subject when using the subjunctive (e.g., 'Yo espero que tú acates'). If the subject is the same, use the infinitive ('Yo espero acatar').
Why: This is a common rule for subjunctive usage in Spanish.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: acato
Use 'acato' (yo) and 'acata' (él/ella/usted) for current or habitual obedience.
Preterite
yo: acaté
Use 'acaté' (yo) and 'acató' (él/ella/usted) for completed actions of obeying in the past.
Imperfect
yo: acataba
Use 'acataba' (él/ella/usted) and 'acataban' (ellos/ellas/ustedes) for past habitual or ongoing obedience.
Future
yo: acataré
Use 'acataré' (yo) and 'acatará' (él/ella/usted) for future obedience or probability.
Conditional
yo: acataría
Use 'acataría' (yo) and 'acataría' (él/ella/usted) for hypothetical obedience ('would obey').
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: acatara
Use 'acatara' or 'acataras' etc. for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: acata
Use 'acata' (tú) and 'acate' (usted) for direct commands to obey.
Negative Imperative
yo: no acates
Use 'no acates' (tú) and 'no acate' (usted) for negative commands to obey.