The conditional tense in Spanish (el condicional) is one of the easiest tenses to learn! It is equivalent to the English word "would" + verb.
When do we use it?
-
1
To talk about hypothetical situations: What would happen if…?
Si viviera en Latinoamérica, viajaría a las montañas de los Andes.If I lived in Latin America, I would travel to the Andes mountains. -
2
To make polite requests:
¿Me podrías pasar el mate, por favor?Could you pass me the mate, please? -
3
To give advice:
Yo que tú, visitaría las ruinas incas.If I were you, I would visit the Inca ruins.
Good news! Unlike the present or past tenses, you do not drop the ending of the verb (-ar, -er, -ir). You simply take the full infinitive and add the conditional endings. The endings are exactly the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs!
Table 1: Regular Verbs
| Subject Pronoun | Conditional Ending | Viajar (-ar) | Comer (-er) | Vivir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | -ía | viajaría | comería | viviría |
| Tú | -ías | viajarías | comerías | vivirías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -ía | viajaría | comería | viviría |
| Nosotros | -íamos | viajaríamos | comeríamos | viviríamos |
| Vosotros* | -íais | viajaríais | comeríais | viviríais |
| Ellos/Ustedes | -ían | viajarían | comerían | vivirían |
Table 2: Irregular Verbs
There are only about 12 common irregular verbs in the conditional. They use the exact same endings as the regular verbs, but their stem changes. We can group them into three easy categories:
| Group | Verb (Infinitive) | Irregular Stem | Example (Yo form) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Swap vowel for 'd' | Tener Poner Salir Venir Valer |
tendr- pondr- saldr- vendr- valdr- |
tendría pondría saldría vendría valdría |
I would have I would put I would go out I would come It would be worth |
| 2. Drop the 'e' | Poder Saber Haber Caber Querer |
podr- sabr- habr- cabr- querr- |
podría sabría habría cabría querría |
I would be able I would know There would be I would fit I would want |
| 3. Random changes | Hacer Decir |
har- dir- |
haría diría |
I would do/make I would say/tell |
To talk about what you would do if you lived in Latin America, you need to set up the hypothetical condition. In Spanish, the formula is:
Ejercicio A: Gramática y Contexto
Fill in the blanks with the correct conditional form of the verb in parentheses. Imagine you are planning a hypothetical life in Latin America!
Ejercicio B: ¿Qué preferirías?
Read the following situations and circle your preference. Then, write one sentence explaining WHY using the conditional tense.
Ejercicio C: Creación y Preguntas
Answer the following questions in Spanish with full sentences. Use your imagination! Remember to use the conditional tense (e.g., "Yo iría…", "Me gustaría…").