Concept of past, present and future tenses makes sense when talking about events that really happen. But do those concepts make sense in the subjunctive mood, which often refers to events that don't really happen? As a matter of fact, yes. The tenses of the subjunctive mood are explained in our updated series on the subjunctive. The grammar rules may seem daunting at first, but as is usually the case, as you learn them you will eventually develop a feel for what sounds right without thinking about it.

More than a decade in the making, the most complete and most authoritative guide ever published on the grammar of the Spanish language, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, goes on sale in Spain and Latin America on Thursday.

Two volumes totaling about 4,200 pages are based on the work over the past 11 years of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (la Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española), which has official representation from 22 countries. The last such work was published in 1931.

The books are designed to provide a thorough explanation of the structure of the Spanish language wherever it is spoken, including an explanation of regional differences. Read more...

Our pronunciation journey through the Spanish alphabet continues today with a lesson on pronouncing the M. With a few rare exceptions, it's pronounced essentially the same as the M of English.

Is the future subjunctive verb form all but dead in Spanish as I have said? One of the participants in our forum doesn't think so. Here's what he wrote:

As I wrote you about three years ago, I believe you are mistaken in your assessment that the future subjunctive tense is almost obsolete. Any study of Spanish refranes of the 16th century will show the continuing use of the future subjunctive therein: e.g., "When in Rome do as the Romans do," which is alive and well in “Adónde fueres, haz lo que vieres.”

Please also note that the future subjunctive is very much in use in Portuguese, whose speakers number +/- 250 million people in eight countries around the world.

From my perspective, whether the future subjunctive is almost obsolete depends on what you mean by "almost." Read more...