The Subjunctive Mood of Cuidar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty, for example: Espero que cuides tu salud. (I hope you take care of your health.)

Cuidar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Present Subjunctive follow the regular pattern by dropping the -o from the yo form and adding the corresponding subjunctive endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cuidar (to take care of) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of cuidar is used to express wishes, desires, demands, or situations of uncertainty or subjectivity.

To express wishes or desires: For example, Espero que cuides tu salud. (I hope you take care of your health.)

To express demands or recommendations: For example, Es importante que cuides tus pertenencias. (It’s important that you take care of your belongings.)

To express uncertainty or subjectivity: For example, No estoy seguro de que cuiden bien a los animales. (I’m not sure if they take good care of the animals.)

Colloquial usage: ¡Cuida tu boca! (Watch your mouth! – a warning to be more respectful in speech.)

Examples

Examples of Cuidar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que cuides tu salud. (It’s important that you take care of your health.)

El médico recomienda que cuidemos nuestro peso. (The doctor recommends that we watch our weight.)

Mamá quiere que cuiden la casa mientras ella está fuera. (Mom wants them to take care of the house while she’s away.)

Ojalá que cuide bien a los niños. (I hope she takes good care of the children.)

Para que el jardín crezca, es necesario que cuides las plantas. (For the garden to grow, it’s necessary that you take care of the plants.)

Aunque no lo parezca, es vital que cuidemos nuestro medio ambiente. (Even though it may not seem like it, it’s vital that we take care of our environment.)

A menos que cuiden sus finanzas, no podrán comprar una casa. (Unless they take care of their finances, they won’t be able to buy a house.)

Siempre y cuando cuide su reputación, tendrá éxito en los negocios. (As long as he takes care of his reputation, he will be successful in business.)

Tal vez sea buena idea que cuides tus modales en la cena. (Maybe it’s a good idea that you mind your manners at dinner.)

Es una lástima que no cuiden más el parque. (It’s a shame that they don’t take better care of the park.)

Cuando viajes, asegúrate de que cuides tus pertenencias. (When you travel, make sure you take care of your belongings.)

Voy a sugerir que cuidemos nuestro uso de energía. (I’m going to suggest that we watch our energy usage.)

El entrenador insistió en que cuidemos nuestra dieta antes del partido. (The coach insisted that we watch our diet before the game.)

Dudo que cuiden bien a los animales en ese zoológico. (I doubt that they take good care of the animals at that zoo.)

Me temo que no cuide sus responsabilidades como se debe. (I’m afraid she doesn’t take care of her responsibilities properly.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cuidar (to take care of) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.