Conditional
Start first lessonExplanation
The Spanish conditional tense is formed much like the Spanish simple future tense. Both regular and irregular verbs use the same set of endings, and any stems that are irregular in the simple future are also irregular in the conditional.
Regular Conditional Forms
To form the conditional tense with regular -ar verbs, regular -er verbs, and regular -ir verbs, simply add the conditional endings to the end of the infinitive. Below you'll find a table with the Spanish conditional endings, as well as conjugations of three regular verbs in the conditional: viajar, conocer, and escribir.
Spanish Conditional Endings
| Subject | Conditional Ending |
|---|---|
| yo | -ía |
| tú | -ías |
| usted, él, ella | -ía |
| nosotros | -íamos |
| vosotros | -íais |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | -ían |
The endings for the conditional tense are the same as those for the -er and -ir forms of the imperfect tense. However, conditional endings are attached to the infinitive, while imperfect endings are attached to the stem.
- Conditional: Escribiría unas cartas. (I would write some letters.)
- Imperfect: Escribía unas cartas. (I wrote some letters.)
Conditional Conjugations of Viajar, Conocer, and Escribir
Check out these examples of the regular conditional.
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Irregular Conditional Forms
The conditional has relatively few irregular verbs. They fall into three categories:
- Verbs where the last vowel in the infinitive is replaced with a -d
- Verbs where the last vowel in the infinitive is removed
- Verbs that are just plain irregular
1. Verbs Where the Last Vowel in the Infinitive Is Replaced with a -d
Only -er and -ir verbs fall into this category. To form the stem of these verbs, simply replace the e or i at the end of the infinitive with a -d. Then, add the conditional endings.
A good example of this type of verb is tener (to have). Check out the conditional conjugation of this verb below.
Tener Conditional Conjugation
| Subject | tener (to have) |
|---|---|
| yo | tendría |
| tú | tendrías |
| usted, él, ella | tendría |
| nosotros | tendríamos |
| vosotros | tendríais |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | tendrían |
Other Verbs like Tener
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2. Verbs Where the Last Vowel in the Infinitive Is Removed
Only -er verbs fall into this category. To form the stem of these verbs, remove the vowel from the infinitive ending. Then, add the conditional endings.
A good example of this type of verb is poder (to be able to). Check out the conditional conjugation of this verb below.
Poder Conditional Conjugation
| Subject | Poder (to be able to) |
|---|---|
| yo | podría |
| tú | podrías |
| usted, él, ella | podría |
| nosotros | podríamos |
| vosotros | podríais |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | podrían |
Other Verbs like Poder
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3. Irregular Stems
The verbs decir (to say) and hacer (to do/make) have slightly more drastic stem changes that don't fit into either of the above patterns. Check out the conditional conjugations of these two verbs below.
Decir and Hacer Conditional Conjugations
| Subject | Decir (to tell) | Hacer (to make/to do) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | diría | haría |
| tú | dirías | harías |
| usted, él, ella | diría | haría |
| nosotros | diríamos | haríamos |
| vosotros | diríais | haríais |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | dirían | harían |
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Unconditionally in love with conditional tenses? Learn more in the following articles:
