secar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
secar — to dry
The present subjunctive of secar features a spelling change (c to qu) in all forms: seque, seques, seque, sequemos, sequéis, sequen.
secar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this when you want someone else to dry something, or when expressing doubt or hope about the drying process (e.g., 'I hope the clothes dry').
Notes on secar in the Present Subjunctive
Secar has a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change to keep the hard 'k' sound before the letter 'e'. Without it, 'sece' would sound like 'seh-seh'.
Example Sentences
Espero que seque la ropa pronto.
I hope the clothes dry soon.
él/ella/usted
Dile que seque los platos ahora.
Tell him to dry the dishes now.
él/ella/usted
No creo que sequen las toallas en el baño.
I don't think the towels will dry in the bathroom.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'sece' instead of 'seque'.
Correct: seque
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' makes an 's' sound. You must use 'que' to maintain the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive secar.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: seco
The present tense of secar is completely regular: seco, secas, seca, secamos, secáis, secan.
Preterite
yo: sequé
Secar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'sequé' to preserve the pronunciation.
Imperfect
yo: secaba
The imperfect of secar is regular: secaba, secabas, secaba, secábamos, secabais, secaban.
Future
yo: secaré
The future tense is regular; just add the endings to the infinitive: secaré, secarás, secará, secaremos, secaréis, secarán.
Conditional
yo: secaría
The conditional is regular: add -ía endings to the infinitive (secaría, secarías, secaría, secaríamos, secaríais, secarían).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: secara
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: secara, secaras, secara, secáramos, secarais, secaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: seca
The imperative uses 'seca' (tú) and 'seque' (usted), with the 'c' to 'qu' change in formal and plural commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no seques
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no seques, no seque, no sequemos, no sequéis, no sequen.