The Subjunctive Mood of Gastar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about an action, for example: Espero que no gastes todo tu dinero. (I hope you don’t spend all your money.)

Gastar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Present Subjunctive follow the regular pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Gastar (to spend) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of gastar is used to express wishes, desires, demands, or uncertainty about an action or event.

To express a wish or desire: For example, Ojalá que no gaste tanto dinero. (I wish he wouldn’t spend so much money.)

To express a demand or recommendation: For example, Es importante que gastes tu dinero con prudencia. (It’s important that you spend your money wisely.)

To express uncertainty or doubt: For example, Dudo que gaste mucho en esa fiesta. (I doubt he’ll spend much on that party.)

Colloquial usage: ¡No gastes! (Don’t exaggerate! or Don’t be silly!)

Examples

Examples of Gastar in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que gastes tu dinero con prudencia en tus vacaciones. (I hope you spend your money wisely on your vacation.)

Es importante que gastemos nuestros recursos de manera responsable. (It’s important that we spend our resources responsibly.)

Ojalá que mis hijos gasten su herencia en cosas útiles. (I hope my children spend their inheritance on useful things.)

Para ahorrar energía, es mejor que no gastes electricidad innecesariamente. (To save energy, it’s better that you don’t waste electricity unnecessarily.)

Preferiría que gastemos nuestro presupuesto en mejorar la oficina. (I’d prefer that we spend our budget on improving the office.)

Aunque tengas ganas de comprar esos zapatos, te recomiendo que no gastes tanto dinero. (Even if you feel like buying those shoes, I recommend that you don’t spend so much money.)

Mis padres insisten en que gaste mi mesada con sensatez. (My parents insist that I spend my allowance sensibly.)

Ojalá que los ricos gasten parte de su fortuna en obras de caridad. (I wish the rich would spend part of their fortune on charity.)

Aunque cueste mucho, es importante que gastemos en educación para nuestros hijos. (Even though it costs a lot, it’s important that we spend on education for our children.)

Sería bueno que gasten parte de sus ganancias en mejorar las condiciones laborales. (It would be good if they spent part of their profits on improving working conditions.)

Espero que mis amigos no gasten demasiado en mi fiesta de cumpleaños. (I hope my friends don’t spend too much on my birthday party.)

Aunque sea tentador, no debes gastar todo tu sueldo en lujos. (Even though it’s tempting, you shouldn’t spend your entire paycheck on luxuries.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Gastar (to spend) 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.