Spanish Simple Conditional: Formation, Use and Examples

The simple indicative conditional is a Spanish verb tense used to express hypothetical, possible or imaginary actions or situations in relation to a past or future context. This verb tense is used to talk about what would happen or would be in certain specific conditions or circumstances.

On this page you will find

»Formation of the simple conditional
»Conjugation of regular verbs
»Conjugation of irregular verbs
»Uses and examples of the simple conditional

Spanish simple conditional at a glance

The indicative conditional is a verb tense used in several languages, including Spanish, to express hypothetical, probable or future situations from a conditional or speculative point of view. In Spanish, it is formed by combining the infinitive of the verb with the corresponding endings according to the conjugation. Through the conditional, various situations can be expressed that may or may not materialize in the future, as well as being used to express desires, courtesy, suggestions, among other linguistic nuances.

It is important to note that the conditional indicative is not always related to the real future. Its use can encompass a variety of situations involving conditions, probability and speculation. In contrast to the simple future, which expresses future actions in a more direct manner, the conditional adds a nuance of uncertainty, condition or possibility to the situations posed. Its conjugation and proper use add richness and nuance to communication in the Spanish language.

Formation of the conditional indicative

The formation of the simple conditional is based on the infinitive of the main verb and the endings corresponding to this tense. It should be clarified that with the conditional all verbs take the same ending, regardless of whether it ends in -ar, -er or -ir. However, just as in the simple future, there are irregular verbs, whose ending you must learn by heart.

Table of regular verb conjugations

Personal pronoun	Verb ending	Verbs ending in -ar such as hablar	Verbs ending in -er such as comer	Verbs ending in -ir such as vivirYo
Tú	-ías	hablarías	comerías	vivirías
Él / Ella / Usted	-ía	hablaría	comería	viviría
Nosotros / Nosotras	-íamos	hablaríamos	comeríamos	viviríamos
Vosotros / Vosotras	-íais	hablaríais	comeríais	viviríais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes	-ían	hablarían	comerían	vivirían

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Table of conjugations of irregular verbs

Personal pronoun	Verb ending	To say	To do	To know
Yo	-ía	diría	haría	sabría
Tú	-ías	dirías	harías	sabrías
Él / Ella / Usted	-ía	diría	haría	sabría
Nosotros / Nosotras	-íamos	diríamos	haríamos	sabríamos
Vosotros / Vosotras	-íais	diríais	haríais	sabríais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes	-ían	dirían	haría	sabrían

Uses of the conditional of indicative in Spanish

The simple indicative conditional is used in various situations to express hypothetical, possible or imaginary actions or situations:

Conditional actions: Used to talk about what would happen in the future under certain conditions.
For example: "Si tuviera más tiempo, viajaría."
Wishes and politeness: Used to express wishes or requests in a polite manner.
For example: "Me gustaría ir al concierto."
Suggestions and advice: Used to give suggestions or advice in a friendly manner.
For example:"Deberías estudiar más para el examen."
Hypothetical situations in the past: Can be used to express how things would have been if circumstances had been different in the past.
For example: "Habría aceptado el trabajo si me lo hubieran ofrecido."
Politeness and courtesy in speech: Sometimes used to make requests or ask questions in a polite manner.
For example: "¿Podría usted ayudarme?"