provocar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
provocar — to cause
The present subjunctive of provocar requires a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' in all forms: provoque, provoques, provoque, provoquemos, provoquéis, provoquen.
provocar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a desire, doubt, or necessity that someone or something causes a specific reaction, often following phrases like 'espero que' or 'es necesario que'.
Notes on provocar in the Present Subjunctive
This verb has a 'c' to 'qu' orthographic change to maintain the hard 'k' sound before the letter 'e'. Without the 'u', it would sound like a 's' or 'z'.
Example Sentences
No quiero que mi comentario provoque una discusión.
I don't want my comment to cause an argument.
él/ella/usted
Es posible que los cambios provoquen confusión.
It's possible that the changes will cause confusion.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Dudo que yo provoque problemas en la oficina.
I doubt that I will cause problems in the office.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'provoce'.
Correct: provoque
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' sounds like 'se'. To keep the 'k' sound of the infinitive 'provocar', you must change the 'c' to 'qu'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: provoco
The present tense of provocar is entirely regular: provoco, provocas, provoca, provocamos, provocáis, provocan.
Preterite
yo: provoqué
The preterite of provocar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes 'c' to 'qu': provoqué.
Imperfect
yo: provocaba
The imperfect of provocar is regular: provocaba, provocabas, provocaba, provocábamos, provocabais, provocaban.
Future
yo: provocaré
The future tense of provocar is regular: provocaré, provocarás, provocará, provocaremos, provocaréis, provocarán.
Conditional
yo: provocaría
The conditional of provocar is regular: provocaría, provocarías, provocaría, provocaríamos, provocaríais, provocarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: provocara
The imperfect subjunctive of provocar is formed from the third-person plural preterite: provocara, provocaras, provocara, provocáramos, provocarais, provocaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: provoca
The imperative of provocar uses the spelling change 'qu' for formal commands: provoca (tú), provoque (usted), provoquen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no provoques
The negative imperative of provocar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no provoques, no provoque, no provoquemos, no provoquen.