The subjuntivo presente of merecer is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about meriting or deserving something, for example: Espero que merezca tu confianza. (I hope I deserve your trust.)

This verb belongs to the -cer to -zca spelling-changing conjugation type, where the ‘c’ changes to ‘zc’ before the vowel endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Merecer (to deserve) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Merecer generally means “to deserve” or “to be worthy of”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To deserve something good: for example, Merece que le den un premio por su esfuerzo. (He deserves to be given a prize for his effort.)

To be worthy of something: for example, Merece que la traten con respeto. (She deserves to be treated with respect.)

To be deserving of punishment or criticism: for example, Merece que lo castiguen por su mal comportamiento. (He deserves to be punished for his bad behavior.)

To be worth the effort or trouble: for example, No merece que te preocupes tanto por eso. (It’s not worth you worrying so much about it.)

To be fitting or appropriate: for example, Merece que le den una oportunidad. (It’s fitting that they give him a chance.)

Colloquial usage: In some contexts, merecer can be used in a more casual or slangy way, often with a negative connotation. For example, Merece que le den una paliza por andar de chulo. (He deserves to get beaten up for acting like a jerk.)

Examples

Examples of Merecer in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que mi hijo merezca una beca para la universidad. (I hope my son deserves a scholarship for university.)

Es importante que todos merezcamos el respeto de los demás. (It’s important that we all deserve the respect of others.)

Ojalá que merezcas un aumento de sueldo por tu arduo trabajo. (I hope you deserve a raise for your hard work.)

Para que merezcan un premio, los atletas deben esforzarse al máximo. (For the athletes to deserve an award, they must strive their hardest.)

Aunque no lo creas, creo que merezco unas vacaciones después de tanto trabajo. (Even if you don’t believe it, I think I deserve a vacation after so much work.)

Es necesario que merezcáis la confianza de vuestros empleados. (It’s necessary that you deserve the trust of your employees.)

Dudo que esos políticos corruptos merezcan nuestros votos. (I doubt those corrupt politicians deserve our votes.)

A menos que merezcas un ascenso, no te lo darán. (Unless you deserve a promotion, they won’t give it to you.)

Siempre y cuando merezcamos un trato justo, estaremos satisfechos. (As long as we deserve fair treatment, we’ll be satisfied.)

Tal vez merezca una segunda oportunidad después de su error. (Maybe he deserves a second chance after his mistake.)

Cuando merezcas mi confianza, te daré más responsabilidades. (When you deserve my trust, I’ll give you more responsibilities.)

Por más que lo intente, no creo que merezca ganar ese premio. (No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I deserve to win that award.)

Si merecemos un aumento, nuestro jefe nos lo dará. (If we deserve a raise, our boss will give it to us.)

Mientras merezcáis el respeto de vuestros compañeros, todo irá bien. (As long as you deserve the respect of your peers, everything will be fine.)

Aunque merezcan un castigo, los niños merecen una segunda oportunidad. (Even if they deserve punishment, children deserve a second chance.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Merecer (to deserve) 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.