How To Use the Conditional Tense in Spanish: Your Complete Guide

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One of the most empowering aspects of learning Spanish is mastering verb tenses. Knowing how to conjugate verbs correctly in a variety of tenses is key to effective communication.

El condicional (the conditional), is one of 18 Spanish verb tenses that indicate when an action in a sentence happens. We’ll guide you through how and when to use the conditional tense in Spanish with examples and expert tips. You’ll also find Rosetta Stone’s Structured Immersion method helpful, as it combines verbal and visual cues to teach you the conditional tense in a way that feels natural. 

What is el condicional (the conditional tense) in Spanish? 

Also referred to as el condicional simple (the conditional simple), the conditional tense is a valuable tool for expressing wishes, desires, suggestions, and hypothetical scenarios in Spanish. It parallels the English “would,” and is typically formed by adding -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, or -ían to the infinitive of a verb.

For example:

• Hablar (to speak) becomes hablaría (I would speak).
• Comer (to eat) becomes comerías (you would eat).
• Vivir (to live) becomes vivirían (they would live).

The conditional is an indicative verb tense in Spanish used to express hypothetical actions or possibilities, often denoting situations that would only occur under certain conditions. Unlike English, which uses modal verbs like “would,” “could,” and “might” to convey the conditional, Spanish has a dedicated verb conjugation for this purpose. 

How do you say ‘would’ in Spanish? 

A common question Spanish language learners ask is, “How do you say ‘would’ in Spanish?” The answer is, you don’t. Spanish doesn’t have a direct equivalent for the English word “would.” Instead, you conjugate a verb in the conditional tense. 

List of Spanish conditional tense endings for verbs

There are a few tricks to help you remember the conditional endings in Spanish. If you’re familiar with the imperfect tense in Spanish, remember that the imperfect tense endings for -ER/-IR verbs and conditional endings are the same. 

The endings are the same for all Spanish -AR verbs, -ER verbs, and -IR verbs, as demonstrated by the chart below. 

*The Spanish vosotros is used more commonly in Spain than in Central and South America.

How to form regular verbs in the conditional tense in Spanish 

The conditional is a simple tense in Spanish, requiring only one verb to complete the conjugation. It is conjugated much like the future tense in Spanish, formed by adding specific endings to the full infinitive of a verb, unlike other tenses that require dropping the -AR, -ER, or -IR first before adding the ending. 

The following table demonstrates how to conjugate common Spanish verbs in the conditional tense. Many verbs that conjugate irregularly in the present tense in Spanish, such as ser (to be) and ir (to go), are regular in the conditional tense. 

Imagine conversing with a friend about winning the lottery in Spanish. How would you conjugate regular verbs in the conditional to discuss what you would do with the money? 

• ¿Qué comprarías tú con un millón de dólares? = What would you buy with a million dollars? 
• Yo iría a España y compraría una villa en la playa. = I would go to Spain and would buy a villa on the beach. 

El condicional (the conditional) vs. el imperfecto (the imperfect) in Spanish 

Since the conditional endings are identical to the imperfect endings for -ER/-IR verbs, it’s crucial to distinguish between the two tenses. The conditional tense is used for hypothetical future situations, while the imperfect tense describes past actions, conditions, or events. 

To differentiate them, remember that conditional endings are attached to the full infinitive, whereas imperfect endings are attached to the verb stem. 

To see the difference, compare these examples:

• Antes de ponerme a dieta, comía pasta todos los días. = Before I went on a diet, I ate pasta every day. (imperfect)
• Comería pasta todos los días si no estuviera a dieta. =  I would eat pasta every day if I wasn’t on a diet. (contional)

How to form irregular verbs in the Spanish conditional tense 

While regular verbs follow predictable patterns, Spanish irregular verbs have distinct forms. Despite their irregularity, there are tricks to help you remember how to conjugate irregular verbs in the conditional tense. 

Before you add the conditional ending to an irregular verb, you need to change the stem using one of these patterns. 

Pattern 1: Drop the ‘e’ from the infinitive

This pattern is for a group of irregular -ER verbs only. These verbs drop the final “e” and retain the original “r” to form the irregular verb stem.  

For example, saber (to know) becomes sabr- followed by the appropriate conditional ending. 

Saber – to know

Pattern 2: Change the ‘e’ or ‘i’ in the infinitive ending to ‘d’

This pattern is for a group of irregular -ER and -IR verbs. These verbs drop the final “e” or “i” from the infinitive, replace that vowel with a “d,” and then add the appropriate conditional ending.

For example, tener (to have) becomes tendr- followed by the conditional ending. 

Pattern 3: Drop the letters ‘e’ and ‘c’ from the infinitive

There are two Spanish verbs, ending in -CER or -CIR, that require a unique conjugation pattern. These verbs drop the letters “e” and “c” from the infinitive before adding the appropriate conditional ending. 

Example sentences with irregular verbs in the Spanish conditional

If you were having a conversation with a Spanish-speaking friend about what you would do if your parents caught you in a lie, you could use irregular verbs in the conditional to describe how you would apologize and make things right.

• Haría todos los quehaceres por un mes. = I would do all the chores for a month. 
• Diría la verdad y les pediría perdón. = I would tell the truth and would ask for forgiveness. 
• No saldría con mis amigos los fines de semana. = I wouldn’t go out with my friends on the weekends. 

If you’re familiar with the future tense, you may have noticed that the future and conditional irregular stems are the same. For example, pondré (I will put) vs. pondría (I would put). 

When to use the conditional in Spanish

The conditional tense has many practical applications, from making polite requests to expressing your wishes and desires. For a thorough understanding, explore the following key uses of the conditional tense.

Talking about hypothetical events and creating imaginary scenarios

Hypothetical conversations are a fun, engaging way to practice speaking Spanish. To talk about hypothetical situations effectively, you need to be comfortable using the conditional tense and the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish.

Hypothetical events in Spanish are typically expressed using si clauses. The following formula is used to express what would happen or what someone would do under certain unlikely conditions: 

• Si fuera rico, viajaría por el mundo. = If I was rich, I would travel the world. 
• Si fueras menos estresada, disfrutarías más de la vida. = If you were less stressed, you would enjoy life more. 

Using the subjunctive for doubtful situations is one of the most important Spanish grammar rules. When combined with the conditional in hypothetical sentences, the imperfect subjunctive must be used to maintain the sequence of tenses in Spanish. 

Making polite requests 

Compared to the Spanish imperative mood, the conditional offers a softer and more respectful approach to making requests. By using the conditional, you’re asking if something is possible or okay to do rather than directly commanding someone to do it.

The following examples contrast the imperative mood and conditional tense to make requests in Spanish. 

• Ayuda a tu hermano. = Help your brother. (imperative) 
• ¿Podrías ayudar a tu hermano? = Could you help your brother? (conditional)
• Recógeme en el aeropuerto a las diez. = Pick me up at the airport at ten o’clock. (imperative) 
• ¿Te molestaría recogerme del aeropuerto a las diez? = Would you mind picking me up at the airport at ten o’clock? (conditional)

Politely giving advice or suggestions

There are many ways to dar consejos (give advice) in Spanish using a variety of tenses. The conditional is used to give advice or suggestions politely, especially when you want to be less direct. 

There are three ways to use the conditional in Spanish to give advice or suggestions.

1. To give a polite suggestion in Spanish, you can conjugate the auxiliary verbs deber (should) and poder (can) in the conditional tense followed by an infinitive. For example:

• Deberías estudiar más. = You should study more. 
• Tal vez podrías ayudarle a buscar empleo. = Perhaps you could help him look for a job. 

2. Another way to politely advise in Spanish is with the phrase si yo fuera tú (if I were you) followed by a verb in the conditional. This is one of the most indirect ways to give advice.

• Si yo fuera tú, iría a la universidad. = If I were you, I’d go to college.  
• Si yo fuera tú, haría las maletas. = If I were you, I would pack my bags. 

3. A common way to politely give advice and suggestions in Spanish is with the subjunctive mood. To make the advice sound more polite, you can conjugate the verb of recommendation in the conditional tense followed by a verb in the imperfect subjunctive. For example: 

• Te recomiendo que te quedes en casa. = I recommend that you stay at home. (subjunctive)
• Te recomendaría que te quedaras en casa. = I would recommend that you stay at home. (conditional)

• Le aconsejo que te busques un buen abogado. = I advise you to find a good lawyer. (subjunctive)
• Le aconsejaría que te buscaras un buen abogado. = I would advise you to find a good lawyer. (conditional)

Expressing desires for the future

The conditional tense in Spanish is often used to express desires, suggesting that they are more of a wish than a realistic expectation.

• Me gustaría visitar la Sagrada Familia algún día. = I would like to visit the Sagrada Familia someday. 
• Me encantaría tener una boda grande, pero no me lo puedo permitir. = I would love to have a big wedding, but I can’t afford it. 

Me gustaría (I would like) is a commonly used phrase in everyday social interactions in Spanish. With Phrasebook on the Rosetta Stone App, you can easily learn and practice this essential phrase, along with many others, to improve your conversation and pronunciation skills in Spanish. 

Expressing speculation about the past

The conditional tense is often used to express speculation or uncertainty about the past. When used to make educated guesses about past events, the Spanish conditional tense doesn’t directly translate to “would.”

• Esa sería la razón por la que no vinieron a la fiesta. = That may have been the reason why they didn’t come to the party. 

Describing future events as viewed from a past standpoint

The conditional tense is used to describe future events as seen from a past point of view, reflecting what someone predicted or imagined would occur. It can be used to express past predictions and relate past stories or anecdotes. 

• Pensaba que te casarías con Ricardo. = I thought that you would marry Ricardo. 
• Me dijiste que me ayudarían a decorar el árbol de Navidad. =  You said that you would help me decorate the Christmas tree. 

Other conditional tenses in Spanish 

Beyond the conditional simple, other conditional tenses in Spanish allow you to express hypothetical scenarios in new ways. 

Conditional perfect tense vs. conditional simple in Spanish 

The conditional perfect, el condicional compuesto, is another form of the conditional used to describe what could have happened in a given situation but didn’t. Unlike el condicional simple (the conditional simple), which focuses on hypothetical future events, the conditional perfect is used to express hypothetical scenarios in the past. The English equivalent of the conditional perfect tense is “could have” or “should have.”

The conditional perfect is a compound tense, meaning it’s formed using two verbs: haber in the conditional tense followed by the past participle, which typically ends in -ado or -ido.

Compare these examples to understand the difference between the simple conditional and conditional perfect.

• Carmen limpiaría la casa pero no tiene tiempo. = Carmen would clean the house but she doesn’t have time. (conditional simple) 
• Carmen habría limpiado la casa pero no tenía tiempo. = Carmen would have cleaned the house but didn’t have time. (conditional perfect) 

In the second example, habría is the conditional form of the verb haber (to have), and limpiado is the past participle of the verb limpiar (to clean). The sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the past: If Carmen had had more time, she would have cleaned the house. 

Using the conditional perfect tense with si clauses

While si clauses that express future hypothetical events require the imperfect subjunctive, si clauses used to express past hypothetical events require the pluperfect subjunctive (also referred to as the past perfect subjunctive).

The pluperfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber (have) followed by a past participle. The imperfect subjunctive of haber can be conjugated in two different ways, as demonstrated by the examples below. Both are correct, though the use of hubiera and its corresponding forms is more common. 

• Si no hubiera llovido, habríamos ido a la playa. = If it hadn’t rained, we would have gone to the beach.
• Si hubiese practicado más, habría ganado el partido. = If I had practiced more, I would have won the game.

This formula is a common way to express regret about actions that happened in the past: 

When is the conditional progressive tense used in Spanish? 

Beyond its use in the conditional perfect, the conditional tense is also used to form the conditional progressive tense. In Spanish, el condicional progresivo (the conditional progressive), also referred to as the conditional continuous, is used to discuss ongoing actions that would be happening under specific circumstances.

The conditional progressive is formed by combining the conditional tense of the verb estar with the present participle of another verb, which typically ends in -ando or -iendo.

• Si yo no tuviera que trabajar, estaríamos pasando más tiempo juntos . = If I didn’t have to work, we’d be spending more time together. 
• Si hiciera buen tiempo, estarían relajándose en la playa. = If it were nice outside, they would be relaxing on the beach. 

Key takeaways about the conditional tense in Spanish

As you learn Spanish, understanding the nuances of different verb tenses can help you achieve your language learning goals and enhance your conversations. 

• The simple conditional tense in Spanish is equivalent to “would” in English. 
• The conditional tense is primarily used to discuss hypothetical scenarios, offer polite advice, make courteous requests, and express future desires.
• Regular verbs in the conditional tense are conjugated by adding -ía, -ía, -ía, -íamos, -íais, or -ían to the infinitive of the verb.  
• There are 12 irregular verbs in the conditional tense that have the same irregular stems as irregular verbs in the future tense. 
• When using si clauses to express hypothetical events and unlikely scenarios, pair the conditional simple with the imperfect subjunctive or the conditional perfect with the pluperfect subjunctive.