leer Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
leer — to read
The imperfect subjunctive of leer uses the 'y' from the preterite: leyera, leyeras, leyera, leyéramos, leyerais, leyeran.
leer Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for 'if' clauses (If I read...) or when a past-tense trigger requires the subjunctive (He wanted me to read).
Notes on leer in the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is based on the third-person plural preterite (leyeron). Because that form has a 'y', the 'y' persists through all forms of the imperfect subjunctive.
Example Sentences
Si yo leyera más, sabría más.
If I read more, I would know more.
yo
Me pidió que leyera el contrato.
He asked me to read the contract.
yo
Si ellos leyeran la nota, estarían felices.
If they read the note, they would be happy.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: leiera
Correct: leyera
Why: This tense always derives from the preterite 'ellos' form (leyeron), so it must keep the 'y'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: leo
Leer is regular in the present tense, following standard -er endings: leo, lees, lee, leemos, leéis, leen.
Preterite
yo: leí
The preterite of leer features a spelling change where 'i' becomes 'y' in the third-person forms: leyó and leyeron.
Imperfect
yo: leía
The imperfect of leer is regular for -er verbs: leía, leías, leía, leíamos, leíais, leían.
Future
yo: leeré
The future tense of leer is regular: simply add the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the infinitive.
Conditional
yo: leería
The conditional of leer is regular: add the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
yo: lea
The present subjunctive of leer is regular: lea, leas, lea, leamos, leáis, lean.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: lee
Give commands with leer: lee (tú), lea (usted), leamos (nosotros), leed (vosotros), lean (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no leas
Negative commands for leer always use the present subjunctive forms: no leas, no lea, no leamos, no leáis, no lean.