The present subjunctive mood of matar is used to express wishes, desires, doubts or uncertainties about killing, for example: Espero que no mates a nadie. (I hope you don’t kill anyone.)

Matar is a regular -ar verb, so its present subjunctive conjugations follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of matar is used to express wishes, desires, demands, or hypothetical situations involving the verb “to kill”.

To wish or desire someone’s death: For example, Ojalá que lo maten (I wish they would kill him).

To demand or insist that someone be killed: For example, Es necesario que lo maten (It’s necessary that they kill him).

To express a hypothetical situation involving killing: For example, Si lo maten, sería un gran alivio (If they killed him, it would be a great relief).

Slang/Idiomatic: To do something intensely or excessively: For example, Me estoy matando estudiando (I’m killing myself studying) meaning “I’m studying intensely/excessively”.

Rude: To insult or criticize harshly: For example, Lo están matando en las redes sociales (They’re killing him on social media) meaning “They’re harshly criticizing or insulting him online”.

Examples

Examples of Matar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que no mates a nadie. (It’s important that you don’t kill anyone.)

Espero que mates el tiempo estudiando en lugar de ver televisión. (I hope you spend your time studying instead of watching TV.)

Aunque tengas hambre, no mates a los animales del bosque. (Even if you’re hungry, don’t kill the forest animals.)

Para aprobar el examen, es necesario que mates las cucarachas en tu mente. (To pass the exam, it’s necessary that you kill the cockroaches in your mind.)

Ojalá que nunca maten a nadie por su religión o raza. (Hopefully they never kill anyone because of their religion or race.)

Mis padres quieren que matemos el rato jugando un juego de mesa. (My parents want us to kill time playing a board game.)

Aunque estés enojado, no mates la mensajera. (Even if you’re angry, don’t kill the messenger.)

Es una lástima que algunos maten el tiempo viendo telenovelas todo el día. (It’s a shame that some people kill time watching soap operas all day.)

Ojalá que nunca maten la curiosidad de los niños por aprender. (Hopefully they never kill children’s curiosity to learn.)

Mamá quiere que matemos el aburrimiento yendo al parque de diversiones. (Mom wants us to kill the boredom by going to the amusement park.)

Aunque tengas mucha prisa, no mates las esperanzas de los demás. (Even if you’re in a big hurry, don’t kill other people’s hopes.)

Para ser un buen líder, es importante que no mates la motivación de tu equipo. (To be a good leader, it’s important that you don’t kill your team’s motivation.)

Mis amigos quieren que matemos dos pájaros de un tiro e ir de compras y al cine. (My friends want us to kill two birds with one stone and go shopping and to the movies.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) 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.