Inklingo
A kind person placing a comforting hand on the shoulder of a sad friend sitting on a bench.

compadecer Present Subjunctive Conjugation

compadecer — to pity

B2irregular (z before c) -er★★★
Quick answer:

The present subjunctive uses the 'compadezc-' stem for all persons.

compadecer Present Subjunctive Forms

yocompadezca
túcompadezcas
él/ella/ustedcompadezca
nosotroscompadezcamos
vosotroscompadezcáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescompadezcan

When to Use the Present Subjunctive

Use this when expressing a wish, doubt, or emotion about someone's suffering, such as 'I hope they pity him' or 'It's sad that you pity her.'

Notes on compadecer in the Present Subjunctive

Because the 'yo' form of the present indicative is 'compadezco', that 'zc' carries through to every single form in the present subjunctive.

Example Sentences

  • Espero que me compadezcas un poco.

    I hope you pity me a little.

    tú

  • Dudo que ellos compadezcan al criminal.

    I doubt they pity the criminal.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

  • Es natural que compadezcamos a los niños.

    It's natural that we pity the children.

    nosotros

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: Que ella compadeca.

    Correct: Que ella compadezca.

    Why: You must use the 'zc' stem in the subjunctive to maintain the correct sound; otherwise, 'compadeca' would have a hard 'k' sound.

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Related Tenses

Present

yo: compadezco

Compadecer is irregular in the first person (compadezco), but regular for all other forms.

Preterite

yo: compadecí

Compadecer is completely regular in the preterite: compadecí, compadeció.

Imperfect

yo: compadecía

Compadecer is regular in the imperfect: compadecía, compadecías.

Future

yo: compadeceré

Compadecer is regular in the future: compadeceré, compadecerás.

Conditional

yo: compadecería

Compadecer is regular in the conditional: compadecería, compadecerías.

Imperfect Subjunctive

yo: compadeciera

The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the third-person preterite stem: compadeciera.

Affirmative Imperative

yo: compadece

The imperative uses 'compadece' for tú and 'compadezca' for formal commands.

Negative Imperative

yo: no compadezcas

Negative commands always use the 'zc' stem: no compadezcas.