The Conditional Tense in Spanish

This section introduces the conditional tense in Spanish and includes tips for students studying foundation and higher tiers. The conditional tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions, to make polite requests, or to talk about hypothetical situations. It is similar to the English construction "would + verb". For example:

• I would like to go to the cinema.
• If I had time, I would travel more.

In Spanish, the conditional tense is quite straightforward because it uses the infinitive form of the verb (the verb in its base form) and adds specific endings.

How to Form the Conditional Tense

To form the conditional tense, add specific endings to the infinitive verb (unlike in English where you need to use the auxiliary verb "would"). These endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Conditional Endings (Terminaciones del condicional)

• Yo: -ía (I would)
• Tú: -ías (You would)
• Él/ella: -ía (He/she would)
• Nosotros: -íamos (We would)
• Vosotros: -íais (You [plural] would) – (Spain only)
• Ellos/ellas: -ían (They would)

Examples with Regular Verbs in the Conditional Tense

Hablar (to speak)

• Yo hablaría (I would speak)
• Tú hablarías (You would speak)
• Él/ella hablaría (He/she would speak)
• Nosotros hablaríamos (We would speak)
• Vosotros hablaríais (You [plural] would speak) – (Spain only)
• Ellos/ellas hablarían (They would speak)

Comer (to eat)

• Yo comería (I would eat)
• Tú comerías (You would eat)
• Él/ella comería (He/she would eat)
• Nosotros comeríamos (We would eat)
• Vosotros comeríais (You [plural] would eat) – (Spain only)
• Ellos/ellas comerían (They would eat)

Vivir (to live)

• Yo viviría (I would live)
• Tú vivirías (You would live)
• Él/ella viviría (He/she would live)
• Nosotros viviríamos (We would live)
• Vosotros viviríais (You [plural] would live) – (Spain only)
• Ellos/ellas vivirían (They would live)

Irregular Conditional Verbs

Some verbs have irregular stems in the conditional tense. These irregular verbs change their stem (the root of the verb) but keep the same endings as the regular conditional.

Common Irregular Verbs in the Conditional

• Decir (to say) – dir-
  • Yo diría (I would say)
  • Tú dirías (You would say)
  • Él/ella diría (He/she would say)
• Haber (to have) – habr-
  • Yo habría (I would have)
  • Tú habrías (You would have)
  • Él/ella habría (He/she would have)
• Hacer (to do/make) – har-
  • Yo haría (I would do)
  • Tú harías (You would do)
  • Él/ella haría (He/she would do)
• Poder (to be able to) – podr-
  • Yo podría (I would be able to)
  • Tú podrías (You would be able to)
  • Él/ella podría (He/she would be able to)
• Tener (to have) – tendr-
  • Yo tendría (I would have)
  • Tú tendrías (You would have)
  • Él/ella tendría (He/she would have)
• Venir (to come) – vendr-
  • Yo vendría (I would come)
  • Tú vendrías (You would come)
  • Él/ella vendría (He/she would come)

Other Irregular Verbs

• Salir (to go out) – saldr-
  • Yo saldría (I would go out)
• Caber (to fit) – cabr-
  • Yo cabría (I would fit)
• Saber (to know) – sabr-
  • Yo sabría (I would know)

Uses of the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used in a variety of situations. Here are some common uses:

Hypothetical Situations

We use the conditional to talk about what would happen if certain conditions were met.

• Si tuviera dinero, viajaría a España.
  (If I had money, I would travel to Spain.)
• Si estudiaras más, sacarías mejores notas.
  (If you studied more, you would get better grades.)

Polite Requests

The conditional is also used to make requests sound more polite, like saying "would you" in English.

• ¿Podrías ayudarme con la tarea?
  (Could you help me with the homework?)
• Me gustaría una pizza, por favor.
  (I would like a pizza, please.)

Expressing Preferences or Desires

The conditional is used when talking about things that you would like or prefer to happen.

• Me gustaría ir al cine esta noche.
  (I would like to go to the cinema tonight.)
• Preferiría quedarme en casa.
  (I would prefer to stay at home.)

Difference Between the Conditional and Future Tense

• Future Tense (Futuro): We use the future tense to talk about actions that will happen, for certain or based on a plan.
  • Yo iré al cine mañana. (I will go to the cinema tomorrow.)
• Conditional Tense (Condicional): We use the conditional tense to talk about actions that would happen under certain conditions or to express desires.
  • Yo iría al cine si tuviera dinero. (I would go to the cinema if I had money.)

Examples (Foundation Level) 

• Yo comería una pizza. (I would eat a pizza.)
• Tú vivirías en Londres. (You would live in London.)
• Nosotros viajaríamos a España. (We would travel to Spain.)

Examples (Higher Tier)

• Si me ofrecieran el trabajo, lo aceptaría.
  (If they offered me the job, I would accept it.)
• Nos gustaría saber más sobre tu experiencia.
  (We would like to know more about your experience.)
• Ellos vendrían a la fiesta si no estuvieran tan cansados.
  (They would come to the party if they weren't so tired.)

Summary

• The conditional tense in Spanish expresses actions that would happen under certain conditions or makes polite requests. It is similar to the English construction "would + verb".
• To form the conditional tense, add the standard endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, and -ían to the infinitive verb.
• Some verbs are irregular in the conditional tense, meaning they change their stems but still use the same endings.
• The conditional tense is often used for hypothetical situations, polite requests, and expressing desires or preferences.