The Present Subjunctive of merendar is used when expressing desires, doubts, or uncertainties about having an afternoon snack or meal. For example, Es importante que meriendes algo nutritivo. (It’s important that you have a nutritious snack.)

Merendar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes from e to ie in all subjunctive forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of merendar is used to express wishes, desires, doubts, or uncertainty about the action of having a snack or light meal in the afternoon.

Expressing wishes or desires: For example, Espero que merendemos juntos esta tarde. (I hope we have a snack together this afternoon.)

Expressing doubts or uncertainty: For example, No creo que meriendes tanto como dices. (I don’t think you snack as much as you say.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American regions, merendar can also mean “to eat” in a general sense, especially when referring to snacks or light meals. For example, ¿Ya merendaste algo? (Have you eaten anything yet?)

Examples

Examples of Merendar in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que merendemos juntos esta tarde. (I hope we have an afternoon snack together this afternoon.)

¿Quieres que meriende algo antes de salir? (Do you want me to have a snack before we leave?)

Mamá insistió en que merendemos antes de ir al parque. (Mom insisted that we have a snack before going to the park.)

No puedo creer que merienden tanto azúcar. (I can’t believe they snack on so much sugar.)

Ojalá que meriendes algo nutritivo hoy. (I hope you snack on something nutritious today.)

Es importante que los niños merienden frutas y verduras. (It’s important for kids to snack on fruits and veggies.)

Aunque meriende mucho, nunca engorda. (Even though they snack a lot, they never gain weight.)

¿A qué hora suelen merendar ustedes? (What time do you all usually have a snack?)

Preferiría que merendemos algo ligero antes de la cena. (I’d prefer we have a light snack before dinner.)

Es una tradición que merienden pan dulce en las tardes. (It’s a tradition to snack on sweet bread in the afternoons.)

¿Qué rico antojo tienes para merendar? (What tasty craving do you have for a snack?)

Aunque no tengo hambre, igual voy a merendar algo. (Even though I’m not hungry, I’m still going to have a snack.)

¡Qué delicia! Me encanta merendar fruta fresca. (What a delight! I love snacking on fresh fruit.)

Lamentablemente, no puedo merendar nada con azúcar. (Unfortunately, I can’t snack on anything with sugar.)

¿Les parece si merendamos antes de irnos? (How about we have a snack before leaving?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) 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.