The Subjunctive Mood of Cambiar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about a change occurring. For example, Espero que cambies de opinión. (I hope you change your mind.)

Cambiar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Present Subjunctive follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Cambiar generally means “to change”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To change or transform: for example, Es importante que cambies tu actitud negativa (It’s important that you change your negative attitude).

To exchange or trade: for example, Sería bueno que cambiáramos de asiento (It would be good if we exchanged seats).

To substitute or replace: for example, Te recomiendo que cambies el aceite cada 5,000 kilómetros (I recommend that you replace the oil every 5,000 kilometers).

To convert or switch: for example, Es necesario que cambiemos a energías renovables (It’s necessary that we switch to renewable energies).

To alter or modify: for example, Sugiero que cambiemos el diseño para atraer más clientes (I suggest that we modify the design to attract more customers).

To vary or diversify: for example, Sería bueno que cambiáramos la rutina de vez en cuando (It would be good if we varied the routine from time to time).

To shift or move: for example, Es mejor que cambiemos de tema (It’s better that we shift topics).

To transfer or relocate: for example, Quizás sea hora de que cambiemos de ciudad (Perhaps it’s time that we relocate to a different city).

Examples

Examples of Cambiar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que cambies tu actitud negativa. (It’s important that you change your negative attitude.)

El jefe sugirió que cambiemos nuestra estrategia de ventas. (The boss suggested that we change our sales strategy.)

Aunque no te guste, es necesario que cambies de trabajo. (Even if you don’t like it, it’s necessary that you change jobs.)

Para mejorar las cosas, el gobierno propone que cambiemos algunas leyes. (To improve things, the government proposes that we change some laws.)

Mis padres insisten en que cambie mis hábitos alimenticios. (My parents insist that I change my eating habits.)

Ojalá que cambien las reglas del juego para que sea más justo. (I hope they change the rules of the game to make it fairer.)

Es una lástima que no cambiemos nuestra mentalidad con más frecuencia. (It’s a pity that we don’t change our mindset more often.)

El entrenador recomienda que cambiemos nuestra rutina de ejercicios. (The coach recommends that we change our exercise routine.)

Tal vez sea hora de que cambies de pareja, ¿no crees? (Maybe it’s time for you to change partners, don’t you think?)

Dudo que cambien las políticas públicas en un futuro cercano. (I doubt they’ll change public policies in the near future.)

¿No sería mejor que cambiemos de tema? (Wouldn’t it be better if we changed the subject?)

Aunque no lo creas, es bueno que cambiéis de ambiente de vez en cuando. (Although you may not believe it, it’s good for you to change your environment from time to time.)

Lamentablemente, dudo que cambien las cosas pronto. (Unfortunately, I doubt things will change soon.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) 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.