educar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
educar — to educate
The present subjunctive of educar features a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change: eduque, eduques, eduque, eduquemos, eduquéis, eduquen.
educar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a wish, doubt, or recommendation about how someone should be raised or taught, such as after phrases like 'Espero que...' or 'Es importante que...'.
Notes on educar in the Present Subjunctive
Educar undergoes a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' before the letter 'e' to maintain the hard 'k' sound. This occurs in all persons of the present subjunctive.
Example Sentences
Espero que eduques a tus hijos con paciencia.
I hope you educate your children with patience.
tú
Es importante que la escuela nos eduque en valores.
It is important that the school educates us in values.
él/ella/usted
Dudo que ellos eduquen a su perro tan rápido.
I doubt they will train (educate) their dog that fast.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'educe' instead of 'eduque'.
Correct: eduque
Why: Using a 'c' before 'e' would change the sound to an 's/z' sound; the 'qu' is required to keep the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: educo
The present tense of educar is completely regular: educo, educas, educa, educamos, educáis, educan.
Preterite
yo: eduqué
The preterite of educar is regular except for the 'yo' form spelling change: eduqué, educaste, educó, educamos, educasteis, educaron.
Imperfect
yo: educaba
The imperfect of educar is regular: educaba, educabas, educaba, educábamos, educabais, educaban.
Future
yo: educaré
The future tense of educar is regular: educaré, educarás, educará, educaremos, educaréis, educarán.
Conditional
yo: educaría
The conditional of educar is regular: educaría, educarías, educaría, educaríamos, educaríais, educarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: educara
The imperfect subjunctive of educar is formed regularly from the preterite: educara, educaras, educara, educáramos, educarais, educaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: educa
The affirmative imperative of educar uses the spelling change 'qu' for formal commands: educa, eduque, eduquemos, educad, eduquen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no eduques
The negative imperative of educar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no eduques, no eduque, no eduquemos, no eduquéis, no eduquen.