apuñalar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
apuñalar — to stab
Present subjunctive for apuñalar expresses wishes, doubts, or emotions: apuñale (yo/él/ella/usted), apuñales (tú), apuñalemos (nosotros), apuñalen (ellos/ellas/ustedes).
apuñalar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense after expressions of desire, emotion, doubt, or uncertainty. For instance, 'I hope he doesn't stab himself' or 'It's unlikely that they will stab the target.'
Notes on apuñalar in the Present Subjunctive
Apuñalar is regular in the present subjunctive. The forms are derived from the 'yo' form of the present indicative ('apuñalo'), dropping the '-o' and adding opposite endings (-e, -es, -emos, -en).
Example Sentences
Espero que no apuñales la pintura.
I hope you don't stab the painting.
tú
Dudo que él apuñale al personaje.
I doubt he will stab the character.
él/ella/usted
Queremos que no apuñalemos la reputación de nadie.
We want to not stab anyone's reputation.
nosotros
Me alegra que no apuñalen el acuerdo.
I'm glad they aren't stabbing the agreement.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the present indicative instead of the subjunctive after doubt or emotion.
Correct: After verbs like 'dudar', 'esperar', 'temer', use the present subjunctive: 'Espero que apuñales...' not 'Espero que apuñalas...'.
Why: Expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and uncertainty trigger the subjunctive mood.
Mistake: Confusing the yo/él/ella/usted form with the tú form.
Correct: Remember 'apuñale' is for yo/él/ella/usted, and 'apuñales' is for tú.
Why: The endings for these forms are distinct and need to be memorized.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'apuñalar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: apuñalo
The present tense of apuñalar describes habitual actions or things happening now: apuñalo, apuñalas, apuñala, apuñalamos, apuñaláis, apuñalan.
Preterite
yo: apuñalé
The preterite of apuñalar is regular: apuñalé, apuñalaste, apuñaló, apuñalamos, apuñalasteis, apuñalaron.
Imperfect
yo: apuñalaba
The imperfect of apuñalar describes ongoing or habitual past actions: apuñalaba, apuñalabas, apuñalaba, apuñalábamos, apuñalabais, apuñalaban.
Future
yo: apuñalaré
The future tense of apuñalar indicates future actions: apuñalaré, apuñalarás, apuñalará, apuñalaremos, apuñaréis, apuñalarán.
Conditional
yo: apuñalaría
The conditional of apuñalar expresses hypotheticals ('would stab'): apuñalaría, apuñalarías, apuñalaría, apuñalaríamos, apuñalaríais, apuñalarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: apuñalara
The imperfect subjunctive of apuñalar expresses past hypotheticals or wishes: apuñalara, apuñalaras, apuñaláramos, apuñalaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: apuñala
Commands in the imperative for apuñalar: apuñala (tú), apuñale (usted), apuñalemos (nosotros), apuñalen (ustedes), apuñala (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no apuñales
Negative commands for apuñalar use the present subjunctive: no apuñales (tú), no apuñale (usted), no apuñalemos (nosotros), no apuñalen (ustedes), no apuñales (vosotros).