gastar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
gastar — to spend
The imperfect subjunctive of gastar has two forms: gastara/gastase and gastáramos/gastásemos.
gastar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is used for hypothetical situations in the past, wishes, or polite requests in the past. For example, 'Si gastara menos, tendría más dinero' (If I spent less, I would have more money) or 'Quisiera que no gastaras tanto' (I wish you wouldn't spend so much).
Notes on gastar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Gastar is regular in the imperfect subjunctive. Both the -ra and -se forms are correct, though the -ra form is generally more common.
Example Sentences
Si yo gastara más, estaría más feliz.
If I spent more, I would be happier.
yo
Ella prefería que tú no gastaras dinero en eso.
She preferred that you not spend money on that.
tú
Ojalá ellos no gastaran tanto en caprichos.
I wish they wouldn't spend so much on whims.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Me habría gustado que gastásemos menos.
I would have liked us to spend less.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite instead of the imperfect subjunctive, like 'Si gasté menos'.
Correct: For hypothetical past situations, use the imperfect subjunctive: 'Si gastara menos'.
Why: The preterite indicates a completed action, while the imperfect subjunctive is for unreal or hypothetical conditions.
Mistake: Confusing the -ra and -se endings.
Correct: Both are correct: 'gastara' and 'gastase' mean the same thing.
Why: Learners might only know one set of endings or think one is definitively 'wrong'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'gastar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: gasto
Gastar is regular in the present tense: gasto, gastas, gasta, gastamos, gastáis, gastan.
Preterite
yo: gasté
The preterite of gastar is regular: gasté, gastaste, gastó, gastamos, gastasteis, gastaron.
Imperfect
yo: gastaba
The imperfect of gastar is regular: gastaba, gastabas, gastaba, gastábamos, gastabais, gastaban.
Future
yo: gastaré
The future tense of gastar is regular: gastaré, gastarás, gastará, gastaremos, gastaréis, gastarán.
Conditional
yo: gastaría
The conditional of gastar is regular: gastaría, gastarías, gastaría, gastaríamos, gastaríais, gastarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: gaste
The present subjunctive of gastar: 'gaste', 'gastes', 'gastemos', 'gastéis', 'gasten'.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: gasta
The imperative of gastar is mostly regular, with specific commands like 'gasta' (tú) and 'gastad' (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no gastes
Negative commands for gastar use the present subjunctive: 'no gastes', 'no gaste', 'no gastemos', 'no gastéis', 'no gasten'.