Conditional perfect

B2

Grammar path · Lesson 71 of 86 · Stage B2 · Perfect tenses and reported speech

The conditional perfect talks about an imagined past: what you could have done, what would have happened, or what you regret. You need it whenever you tell 'if back then..., I would have...' stories. It is built very regularly: habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habrían + past participle, as in habría ido or habríamos comido. Learners often mix it up with the simple conditional (iría): the simple form is about a hypothetical present or future, while habría + participle always looks back at something in the past that did not actually happen.

Practise this lesson · 9 sentences

Form

Affirmativesujeto + habría/habrías/habría/habríamos/habrían + participio
Con más tiempo, habríamos terminado el proyecto.With more time, we would have finished the project.
Negativesujeto + no + habría + participio
Ella no habría dicho eso.She wouldn't have said that.
Question¿(palabra interrogativa) + habrías + participio + ...?
¿Qué habrías hecho tú en mi lugar?What would you have done in my place?

When to use it

Unreal conditions in the past

Used in the result clause, paired with a si + hubiera + participle clause. Both halves describe something that did not happen.

Si hubiera estudiado más, habría aprobado el examen.If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.
Si me hubieras avisado, habría ido a buscarte.If you had let me know, I would have gone to pick you up.

Regrets and hindsight advice

Used to say what you or someone else should have done, or what you would have liked. It often appears with yo que tú or me habría gustado.

Yo en tu lugar habría aceptado el trabajo.If I were you, I would have accepted the job.
Me habría gustado conocer a tu abuela.I would have liked to meet your grandmother.

Future perfect seen from the past

In reported speech it replaces habrá + participle when the reporting verb is in the past. It shows an action expected to be finished before a certain point.

Me dijo que para junio habría terminado la carrera.He told me that by June he would have finished his degree.
Pensábamos que ya habrían llegado al hotel.We thought they would have already arrived at the hotel.

Habría + past participle

yo / él / ella / ustedhabría ido
túhabrías ido
nosotros / nosotrashabríamos ido
vosotros / vosotras (España)habríais ido
ellos / ellas / ustedeshabrían ido

Signal words

si hubierade haber sabidoyo que túen tu lugarsin tu ayuda

Don't confuse it with

Conditional (condicional simple)

Ask yourself whether the imagined situation is now/later or in the past. For now or the future, use the simple conditional: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. For something past that did not happen, use habría + participle: Si hubiera tenido dinero, habría viajado.

Frequently asked questions

How is the conditional perfect formed?

Use haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habrían) plus the past participle. For example: habría hablado, habrías comido, habrían vivido.

Can I say hubiera ido instead of habría ido?

Yes, in the result clause many native speakers, especially in Latin America, use hubiera + participle with the same meaning. Still, habría + participle is the standard and safest choice.

Can I use habría right after si?

No. After si you need hubiera + participle; habría only goes in the result clause: Si hubiera sabido, habría venido.

What is the difference between habría hecho and haría?

Haría refers to a hypothetical present or future, while habría hecho refers to a past that did not happen.

Where do pronouns go with habría + participle?

Pronouns always go before habría, never attached to the participle: Te lo habría dicho.

More in Future and conditional

Simple future (futuro simple)A2Conditional (condicional simple)B1Future of probabilityB1Future perfectB2Guessing about the past: habrá sido, habría sidoC1
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