A2 · Elementary

The simple conditional (condicional simple)

'Would': polite requests, hypotheses and advice — with the same irregular stems as the futuro.

Formation: infinitive + ending

You form the condicional simple just like the futuro: the whole infinitive + an ending, the same for -ar, -er and -ir verbs. The endings are identical to the imperfecto endings of -er/-ir verbs:

-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían

hablarcomervivir
yohablaríacomeríaviviría
túhablaríascomeríasvivirías
él/ella/ustedhablaríacomeríaviviría
nosotros/ashablaríamoscomeríamosviviríamos
vosotros/ashablaríaiscomeríaisviviríais
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaríancomeríanvivirían

Examples

Yo hablaría con ella si fuera tú.I would talk to her if I were you.
¿Comerías insectos por dinero?Would you eat insects for money?
Nosotros viviríamos felices en el campo.We would live happily in the countryside.

The same irregular stems as the futuro

Good news: the verbs with an irregular stem in the condicional are exactly the same as in the futuro simple. You simply attach the condicional endings to that stem instead of the futuro endings:

  • tener → tendr-
  • poder → podr-
  • hacer → har-
  • decir → dir-
  • saber → sabr-
  • poner → pondr-
  • venir → vendr-
  • salir → saldr-
  • querer → querr-
  • haber → habr-
tenerhacerpoderdecirquerer
yotendríaharíapodríadiríaquerría
tútendríasharíaspodríasdiríasquerrías
él/ella/ustedtendríaharíapodríadiríaquerría
nosotros/astendríamosharíamospodríamosdiríamosquerríamos
ellos/ellas/ustedestendríanharíanpodríandiríanquerrían

Examples

¿Podrías ayudarme con esto?Could you help me with this?
Yo no haría eso.I wouldn't do that.
Me dijo que vendría a las ocho.He/she told me he/she would come at eight.

Use: politeness and advice

The condicional makes a request or opinion more polite and less direct — similar to using 'would' in English. The expression yo que tú (if I were you) or yo en tu lugar is used to give advice, always followed by the condicional.

Examples

¿Podría abrir la ventana, por favor?Could you open the window, please?
Yo que tú, hablaría con el médico.If I were you, I would talk to the doctor.
Deberías descansar un poco.You should rest a little.
Me gustaría reservar una mesa para dos.I would like to book a table for two.

Use: hypotheses

The condicional also expresses what would happen under certain (often unrealistic or uncertain) circumstances. That circumstance is often introduced with si + imperfect subjunctive, but at A2 level it's enough to recognize the condicional in the main clause.

Examples

Si tuviera más dinero, viajaría por el mundo.If I had more money, I would travel the world.
Con más tiempo, aprendería a tocar el piano.With more time, I would learn to play the piano.
En tu lugar, yo no lo haría así.In your place, I wouldn't do it that way.

💡 Tips

💡
Learn the irregular stems of the futuro and condicional together — they are exactly the same ten verbs.
💡
'Me gustaría' (I would like) is the polite version of 'quiero' (I want) — use it at a counter, in a restaurant, or for a formal request.
💡
'¿Podrías...?' and '¿Podría...?' sound much more polite than '¿Puedes...?' — useful in formal or unfamiliar situations.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

🔧 Verbs: Conditional

Related grammar

The regular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The past tense for completed events: regular -ar, -er and -ir forms.
The irregular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The most common verbs are irregular in the indefinido: ser/ir, tener, hacer, decir and more.
The imperfect past (pretérito imperfecto)
The past tense for habits, descriptions and background — almost always regular.
Indefinido versus imperfecto
Two past tenses, one choice: what happened (indefinido) versus what the situation was (imperfecto)?

← The simple future (futuro simple)The affirmative imperative →

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