Spanish Conditional Tense
The Simple Conditional (Condicional Simple)
The Spanish conditional is the equivalent of "would" in English, and its uses extend beyond simple hypothetical situations. Spanish speakers use the conditional to express hypothetical actions, polite requests, and future events viewed from the past. It is usually learned alongside the future tense, because the two share the same irregular stems.
Use the conditional for things that would happen under certain conditions, for polite language, and for reported speech involving future actions.
Like the future tense, its endings attach directly to the infinitive: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
| Person | hablar |
|---|---|
| yo | hablaría |
| tú | hablarías |
| él / ella | hablaría |
| nosotros | hablaríamos |
| vosotros | hablaríais |
| ellos | hablarían |
Examples:
- Hablaría con él si pudiera. → I would speak with him if I could.
- ¿Me podrías ayudar? → Could you help me?
The conditional uses exactly the same irregular stems as the future tense (tendría, haría, diría, saldría, podría), so it is easier to learn once you have mastered the future.
The Conditional Perfect (Condicional Compuesto)
The conditional perfect refers to hypothetical situations in the past, and it often expresses regret or missed opportunities. It is formed with haber in the conditional, plus the past participle: habría hablado, habrías hablado, and so on.
- Habría ido contigo, pero estaba enfermo. → I would have gone with you, but I was sick.
- Habríamos llegado antes, pero había tráfico. → We would have arrived earlier, but there was traffic.
The conditional perfect frequently pairs with the pluperfect subjunctive, a pattern common in advanced Spanish:
- Si hubiera sabido, habría venido. → If I had known, I would have come.
- Si hubiéramos tenido tiempo, habríamos terminado. → If we had had time, we would have finished.
Find out more
Attach the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían directly to the full infinitive, so hablar becomes hablaría, hablarías, hablaría and so on. Verbs with irregular future stems use the same stems here (tendría, haría, diría).
Use the conditional for hypothetical actions, polite requests, and future events viewed from the past, as in Hablaría con él si pudiera (I would speak with him if I could). It works much like "would" in English.
The conditional perfect describes hypothetical situations in the past and often expresses regret, as in Habría ido contigo, pero estaba enfermo (I would have gone with you, but I was sick). It frequently appears alongside the pluperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences.