The Present Subjunctive of merendar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about the action of having an afternoon snack. For example, Es importante que meriendes fruta. (It’s important that you have fruit for your afternoon snack.)

Merendar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes from e to ie in all subjunctive forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Merendar generally means to have an afternoon snack or light meal, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To have a snack: for example, Aunque merenden pasteles, no engordarán (Even if they have cake for a snack, they won’t gain weight).

To eat between meals: for example, Aunque merendemos fruta, seguiremos con hambre (Even if we snack on fruit, we’ll still be hungry).

To nibble or munch (colloquial): for example, Aunque merenden las migas de pan, no se llenarán (Even if they munch on breadcrumbs, they won’t get full).

To eat hastily or carelessly (rude): for example, Aunque merenden como cerdos, no me importa (Even if they eat like pigs, I don’t care).

Examples

Examples of Merendar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que merendemos antes de salir. (It’s important that we have a snack before leaving.)

El médico recomienda que meriendes algo saludable por las tardes. (The doctor recommends that you have a healthy snack in the afternoons.)

Ojalá que merienden algo nutritivo después de la escuela. (I hope they have a nutritious snack after school.)

Aunque no tengas hambre, es bueno que meriendes fruta. (Even if you’re not hungry, it’s good that you have some fruit for a snack.)

Es necesario que los niños merienden para tener energía. (It’s necessary for the children to have a snack to have energy.)

Preferiría que merendemos antes de ir al cine. (I’d prefer that we have a snack before going to the movies.)

Sugiero que merienden algo ligero para no arruinar el apetito. (I suggest they have a light snack so as not to ruin their appetite.)

Es una lástima que no merienden frutas y verduras. (It’s a shame that they don’t have fruits and vegetables for a snack.)

Tal vez sea mejor que merendemos después de hacer ejercicio. (Maybe it’s better that we have a snack after exercising.)

Dudo que merienden comida chatarra tan seguido. (I doubt they have junk food for a snack so often.)

¿Crees que merienden algo antes de la reunión? (Do you think they’ll have a snack before the meeting?)

Es una pena que no merienden frutos secos más seguido. (It’s a pity that they don’t have nuts for a snack more often.)

Quizás merendemos algo rápido en el camino. (Perhaps we’ll have a quick snack on the way.)

Es raro que merienden tanto por las noches. (It’s strange that they have such big snacks at night.)

Sería ideal que meriende algo nutritivo después del trabajo. (It would be ideal for you to have a nutritious snack after work.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.