obligar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
obligar — to force
The present subjunctive of obligar requires a spelling change (g to gu) to keep the hard 'g' sound: obligue, obligues, obligue, obliguemos, obliguéis, obliguen.
obligar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a desire, doubt, or requirement for someone else to do something, especially after phrases like 'es necesario que' or 'no quiero que'.
Notes on obligar in the Present Subjunctive
This tense features a 'g' to 'gu' spelling change in all forms to maintain the hard 'g' sound (/g/) before the 'e' vowel.
Example Sentences
No quiero que me obligues a ir.
I don't want you to force me to go.
tú
Es posible que nos obliguen a usar uniforme.
It's possible they will force us to wear a uniform.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Dudo que el jefe me obligue a trabajar el domingo.
I doubt the boss will force me to work on Sunday.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'oblige' instead of 'obligue'.
Correct: The correct spelling is obligue.
Why: In Spanish, 'ge' sounds like a 'j'. You must add a 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound of the infinitive.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: obligo
The present tense of obligar is regular: obligo, obligas, obliga, obligamos, obligáis, obligan.
Preterite
yo: obligué
The preterite of obligar has a spelling change only in the 'yo' form: obligué, obligaste, obligó, obligamos, obligasteis, obligaron.
Imperfect
yo: obligaba
The imperfect of obligar is regular for -ar verbs: obligaba, obligabas, obligaba, obligábamos, obligabais, obligaban.
Future
yo: obligaré
The future of obligar is regular, adding endings to the infinitive: obligaré, obligarás, obligará, obligaremos, obligaréis, obligarán.
Conditional
yo: obligaría
The conditional of obligar is regular: obligaría, obligarías, obligaría, obligaríamos, obligaríais, obligarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: obligara
The imperfect subjunctive of obligar is formed from the third-person plural preterite: obligara, obligaras, obligara, obligáramos, obligarais, obligaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: obliga
The imperative of obligar uses standard -ar endings, with a spelling change in formal and plural forms: obliga, obligue, obliguemos, obligad, obliguen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no obligues
The negative imperative of obligar uses the present subjunctive forms: no obligues, no obligue, no obliguemos, no obliguéis, no obliguen.