cantar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
cantar — to sing
The present subjunctive of cantar uses -e endings: cante, cantes, cante, cantemos, cantéis, canten.
cantar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use the subjunctive when you want someone else to sing, or when expressing doubt or emotion about someone's singing (e.g., 'I hope he sings').
Notes on cantar in the Present Subjunctive
Cantar is regular. It follows the rule of taking the 'yo' form of the present indicative ('canto'), dropping the 'o', and adding 'e' endings.
Example Sentences
Espero que tú cantes en mi fiesta.
I hope that you sing at my party.
tú
Dudo que ellos canten hoy.
I doubt that they will sing today.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Mi madre quiere que yo cante en el coro.
My mother wants me to sing in the choir.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'canta' after 'espero que'.
Correct: cante
Why: Verbs of wishing or emotion like 'esperar' require the subjunctive mood in the following clause.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: canto
Cantar is regular in the present: canto, cantas, canta, cantamos, cantáis, cantan.
Preterite
yo: canté
The preterite of cantar is regular: canté, cantaste, cantó, cantamos, cantasteis, cantaron.
Imperfect
yo: cantaba
The imperfect of cantar follows the regular -aba pattern: cantaba, cantabas, cantaba, cantábamos, cantabais, cantaban.
Future
yo: cantaré
The future of cantar uses the infinitive as the stem: cantaré, cantarás, cantará, cantaremos, cantaréis, cantarán.
Conditional
yo: cantaría
The conditional of cantar is regular: cantaría, cantarías, cantaría, cantaríamos, cantaríais, cantarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cantara
The imperfect subjunctive of cantar is based on the 'ellos' preterite: cantara, cantaras, cantara, cantáramos, cantarais, cantaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: canta
The imperative of cantar gives commands: canta (tú), cantad (vosotros), cante (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cantes
The negative imperative of cantar uses the present subjunctive: no cantes, no cante, no cantemos, no cantéis, no canten.