What is the present subjunctive of dar in Spanish?

The present subjunctive of dar is: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. Yo and él/ella forms carry a written accent (dé) to distinguish from the preposition de. The rest are unaccented.

Why does dé have an accent but des doesn't?

The accent on dé distinguishes the verb from the preposition de. Des isn't confusable with anything else, so it doesn't need an accent. This is an example of the diacritic accent (tilde diacrítica) in Spanish, used to differentiate homographs.

Is the subjunctive of dar regular or irregular?

Dar's subjunctive is irregular because it doesn't follow the standard rule of deriving from the yo form (which would be doy → dy-, but that's not what happens). Instead, dar uses an irregular short stem d- with the accent on dé. Memorize as a fully irregular verb.

What are common idioms with subjunctive dar?

Common idioms include dar miedo (be scary), dar gusto (be pleasant), dar igual (not matter), dar las gracias (thank), dar el ejemplo (set the example), dar clases (teach). After triggers, these become dé miedo, dé gusto, demos las gracias, etc.

How can I learn to use subjunctive dar naturally?

Dar appears in countless idiomatic phrases and everyday situations: giving thanks, giving time, giving opinions, scary things, pleasant things. Parrot's short-form videos surface these contexts repeatedly, so dé / des / den become automatic with exposure.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Subjunctive of Dar: All Forms with Examples

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Dar's present subjunctive is irregular and very short: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. Note the accent on dé (yo and él/ella) to distinguish from the preposition de. Used after standard subjunctive triggers.

Quiero que me des una respuesta.

I want you to give me an answer.

What it is

Dar's present subjunctive is one of the shortest in Spanish: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. The most important thing to remember is the written accent on dé (yo and él/ella forms) which distinguishes it from the preposition de (of/from). The rest of the forms are regular and unaccented.

In Quiero que me des una respuesta (I want you to give me an answer), des is the tú subjunctive of dar. Note the lowercase, no-accent des, while dé (yo / él / ella) carries the accent.

How to spot it

Look for the short d- stem with -é, -es, -é, -emos, -eis, -en. The accent on dé is the most common marker that you're seeing the subjunctive (and not the preposition de).

Espero que me dé tiempo. — I hope it'll give me time.
Dudo que demos una buena impresión. — I doubt we'll give a good impression.
Es importante que den dinero a la causa. — It's important they donate to the cause.

Dar is short and confusable with prepositions. Watch the accent on dé carefully; it's not optional.

Subjunctive of Dar Quick Reference

Present subjunctive of dar, all six forms

Person	Form	Translation
yo	dé	(that) I give
tú	des	(that) you give
él/ella/Ud.	dé	(that) he, she, you (formal) give
nosotros	demos	(that) we give
vosotros	deis	(that) you all give (Spain)
ellos/Uds.	den	(that) they, you all give

Common Subjunctive of Dar Examples in Spanish

Subjunctive dar shows up in wishes about giving (gifts, time, attention), recommendations about donations, doubts about whether something will be given, and many idiomatic phrases (dar miedo, dar gusto, dar pena).

Wishes (querer que, esperar que)

Quiero que me des tu opinión.: I want you to give me your opinion.
Espero que dé buenos resultados.: I hope it gives good results.
Deseo que nos den otra oportunidad.: I wish they'd give us another chance.
Quiere que le dé un beso.: She wants me to give her a kiss.
Esperan que demos lo mejor.: They hope we give our best.

Wishes about giving things (opinions, chances, time, gifts) take the subjunctive of dar.

Doubt (dudar que)

Dudo que dé clase hoy.: I doubt he's teaching today.
No creo que demos un buen examen.: I don't think we'll do well on the exam.
Es posible que dé positivo.: It could come back positive.
Puede que dé miedo.: It might be scary.
Quizás den dinero al proyecto.: Maybe they'll donate to the project.

Doubt about whether something will be given, or about test results, performances, etc., uses the subjunctive of dar.

Recommendations (recomendar que)

Te recomiendo que des las gracias.: I recommend you give thanks.
Sugiero que demos una vuelta.: I suggest we take a stroll.
El médico aconseja que dé el medicamento dos veces al día.: The doctor advises giving the medication twice a day.
Te pido que me des un momento.: I'm asking you to give me a moment.
Les sugiere que den prioridad a la salud.: She suggests they prioritize health.

Recommendations about giving (thanks, time, attention, priority) constantly use subjunctive dar.

Impersonal Triggers and Idioms

Es importante que des el ejemplo.: It's important you set the example.
Es necesario que dé clases extra.: It's necessary that she teach extra classes.
Es bueno que demos el primer paso.: It's good we take the first step.
Es raro que dé tanto miedo.: It's strange it's so scary.
Es triste que no le den importancia.: It's sad they don't give it importance.

Impersonal triggers + idiomatic uses (dar miedo, dar importancia, dar el ejemplo) are common contexts for subjunctive dar.

How to Form the Subjunctive of Dar

Memorize the Short Forms

Dar's subjunctive doesn't follow the standard yo-form-derivation rule. It uses the irregular stem d- with the standard endings (dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den). Memorize as a fully irregular verb.

dar → d- → dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den.

Irregular short forms, just memorize.

One of the few fully irregular subjunctives (ser, ir, saber, dar, haber, ver).

Accent on Dé

The yo and él/ella subjunctive forms carry a written accent on dé. This distinguishes the verb form from the preposition de (of/from). Without the accent, dé would be misread. The tú (des), nosotros (demos), vosotros (deis), and ustedes (den) forms don't take accents.

Quiero que me dé tiempo. (verb dé, with accent.) Casa de mi madre. (preposition de, no accent.)

Accent on dé is mandatory in writing.

If it's the verb, accent; if it's the preposition, no accent.

Same Yo and Él/Ella Forms

Like all subjunctive conjugations, yo and él/ella/usted share the same form: dé. Use subject pronouns to disambiguate when needed.

Espero que (yo) dé clase mañana. Espero que (él) dé clase mañana.

Both with accent.

Add pronouns when person matters.

Same Triggers as All Subjunctives

Subjunctive dar responds to the W.E.I.R.D.O. triggers. The mood shift happens when a trigger from these categories appears in the main clause + que.

Quiero que. Es importante que. Dudo que. Ojalá.

Same triggers across all verbs.

Trigger + que = subjunctive.

Common Mistakes with Subjunctive of Dar

Incorrect: Quiero que me das tu opinión. — I want you to give me your opinion. (wrong, indicative after querer que)

Correct: Quiero que me des tu opinión. — I want you to give me your opinion.

After querer que, the dependent verb must be in the subjunctive. Das is the indicative; des is the tú subjunctive. The wish trigger forces the mood shift.

Incorrect: Espero que me de tiempo. — I hope it gives me time. (wrong, missing accent on dé)

Correct: Espero que me dé tiempo. — I hope it gives me time.

The third-person subjunctive form requires a written accent: dé, not de. Without the accent, the word would be read as the preposition de (of/from), changing the meaning.

Incorrect: Sé que dé clases en la universidad. — I know he teaches at the university. (wrong, fact assertion takes indicative)

Correct: Sé que da clases en la universidad. — I know he teaches at the university.

Saber que asserts a fact and takes the indicative (da), not the subjunctive (dé). Only triggers expressing doubt, wish, or opinion force the subjunctive.

Subjunctive of Dar FAQs

What is the present subjunctive of dar in Spanish?: The present subjunctive of dar is: dé, des, dé, demos, deis, den. Yo and él/ella forms carry a written accent (dé) to distinguish from the preposition de. The rest are unaccented.
Why does dé have an accent but des doesn't?: The accent on dé distinguishes the verb from the preposition de. Des isn't confusable with anything else, so it doesn't need an accent. This is an example of the diacritic accent (tilde diacrítica) in Spanish, used to differentiate homographs.
Is the subjunctive of dar regular or irregular?: Dar's subjunctive is irregular because it doesn't follow the standard rule of deriving from the yo form (which would be doy → dy-, but that's not what happens). Instead, dar uses an irregular short stem d- with the accent on dé. Memorize as a fully irregular verb.
What are common idioms with subjunctive dar?: Common idioms include dar miedo (be scary), dar gusto (be pleasant), dar igual (not matter), dar las gracias (thank), dar el ejemplo (set the example), dar clases (teach). After triggers, these become dé miedo, dé gusto, demos las gracias, etc.
How can I learn to use subjunctive dar naturally?: Dar appears in countless idiomatic phrases and everyday situations: giving thanks, giving time, giving opinions, scary things, pleasant things. Parrot's short-form videos surface these contexts repeatedly, so dé / des / den become automatic with exposure.