Conditional (condicional simple)
B1Grammar path · Lesson 52 of 86 · Stage B1 · Conditions and the past
Use the conditional when you talk about what would happen rather than what will happen: imagined situations, polite requests, advice, and what someone said they would do later. Think of it as the Spanish 'would'. It is easy to build: keep the whole infinitive and add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían, the same endings for all three verb groups: hablaría, comería, viviría. A handful of verbs use a changed stem, like tendría, podría and haría. Its closest twin is the simple future, which uses the same stems but endings like -é and -á: hablaré is a real plan, while hablaría is only imagined or polite.
Practise this lesson · 9 sentences
Form
sujeto + infinitivo + -ía / -ías / -ía / -íamos / -íansujeto + no + verbo en condicional¿(sujeto) + verbo en condicional + complemento?When to use it
Hypothetical situations
Use it for what would happen if an unreal or unlikely condition were met. The 'si' clause takes the imperfect subjunctive, the main clause takes the conditional.
Polite requests and advice
The conditional makes a request softer than the present tense. With 'yo que tú' or 'deberías' it is used to give advice.
The future seen from the past
When you report past words or thoughts about something that was going to happen later, use the conditional.
Conditional: infinitive + -ía; same irregular stems as the future
Signal words
Don't confuse it with
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the Spanish conditional?
Keep the whole infinitive and add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían. All three groups, -ar, -er and -ir, share these endings: hablaría, comería, viviría.
Which verbs are irregular in the conditional?
The same verbs that are irregular in the future: tendría, podría, haría, diría, querría, saldría, vendría, pondría, sabría, habría. The endings are still the regular -ía set.
Can I use the conditional after si?
No. After si use the imperfect subjunctive and put the conditional in the main clause: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. Never say 'si tendría'.
Why say podría instead of puede when asking for something?
Podría sounds softer and more polite, like 'could you' versus 'can you'. It is the normal choice in restaurants, shops and with strangers.
What is the difference between comería and comía?
Comía is the imperfect (used to eat), with the ending on the stem com-. Comería is the conditional (would eat), with the ending on the whole infinitive comer-.