The Conditional Perfect (Condicional Perfecto or Condicional Compuesto) is used to talk about hypothetical actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It’s also used for speculating about past events. It equates to the English “would have + past participle” (e.g., “I would have gone”).

When to Use the Spanish Conditional Perfect

This tense is primarily used in these scenarios:

1. Hypothetical Past Actions (Result Clause)

Describes the hypothetical result of an unreal past condition (Type 3 Conditionals). The condition itself is expressed using the Pluperfect Subjunctive.

  • Si hubiera sabido, te habría llamado. (If I had known, I would have called you.)
  • Si hubiéramos tenido más tiempo, habríamos visitado el museo. (If we had had more time, we would have visited the museum.)
  • No habrías dicho eso si hubieras estado allí. (You wouldn’t have said that if you had been there.)

2. Conjecture or Probability About a Past Action

Expressing speculation about what might have happened or was probably true in the past (similar to Future Perfect, but often implying slightly more doubt or a past viewpoint).

  • ¿Por qué no vinieron? — No sé, se habrían perdido.

    (Why didn’t they come? — I don’t know, they probably got / would have gotten lost.)

  • Supongo que ya habrían salido cuando llamaste.

    (I suppose they would have already left / had probably already left when you called.)

3. Future Possibility from a Past Perspective (Less Common)

Sometimes used like the Conditional Simple to express what was thought would happen, but emphasizing the completion of the action before another past point.

  • Pensó que para las diez ya habría terminado. (He thought that by ten he would have already finished.)

Conditional Perfect Formation

This tense is a compound tense formed using:

Conditional Simple Indicative of haber + Past Participle of main verb

Conditional Simple Indicative of Haber

Haber (Conditional Simple Indicative)

  • yo habría

  • tú habrías

  • él/ella/usted habría

  • nosotros/as habríamos

  • vosotros/as habríais

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían

Past Participles (Review)

  • Regular -ar verbs → -ado (e.g., hablado)
  • Regular -er/-ir verbs → -ido (e.g., comido, vivido)
  • Irregular past participles (e.g., dicho, hecho, visto, escrito, puesto, roto, muerto, abierto, vuelto, cubierto)

Complete Conjugation Examples

Hablar (to speak)

  • yo habría hablado (I would have spoken)
  • tú habrías hablado (you would have spoken)
  • él/ella/usted habría hablado (he/she/you would have spoken)
  • nosotros/as habríamos hablado (we would have spoken)
  • vosotros/as habríais hablado (you all would have spoken [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían hablado (they/you all would have spoken)

Comer (to eat)

  • yo habría comido (I would have eaten)

  • tú habrías comido (you would have eaten)

  • él/ella/usted habría comido (he/she/you would have eaten)

  • nosotros/as habríamos comido (we would have eaten)

  • vosotros/as habríais comido (you all would have eaten [Spain])

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían comido (they/you all would have eaten)

Hacer (to do/make - irregular participle)

  • yo habría hecho (I would have done/made)
  • tú habrías hecho (you would have done/made)
  • él/ella/usted habría hecho (he/she/you would have done/made)
  • nosotros/as habríamos hecho (we would have done/made)
  • vosotros/as habríais hecho (you all would have done/made [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían hecho (they/you all would have done/made)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Pluperfect Subjunctive in Result Clause

The hypothetical result (main clause) of a past unreal condition uses Conditional Perfect, not Pluperfect Subjunctive.

  • Incorrect: Si hubiera sabido, te hubiera llamado.

  • Correct: Si hubiera sabido, te habría llamado.

2. Confusing with Conditional Simple

Conditional Simple = “would do”; Conditional Perfect = “would have done”.

  • Cond. Simple: Si tuviera tiempo, iría. (If I had time, I would go.)

  • Cond. Perfect: Si hubiera tenido tiempo, habría ido. (If I had had time, I would have gone.)

3. Incorrect Haber Conjugation

Use the conditional simple forms of haber (habría, habrías…), not imperfect (había) or future perfect (habré).

  • Incorrect: Yo había ido si pudiera.

  • Correct: Yo habría ido si hubiera podido. (I would have gone if I had been able.)

4. Using for Simple Past Hypotheticals

If speculating about a simple past event without reference to an earlier condition, Future Perfect is often preferred (though Conditional Perfect can sometimes be used).

  • Preferable: ¿No llegó? Se habrá perdido. (He didn’t arrive? He must have gotten lost.)

  • Possible: ¿No llegó? Se habría perdido.

    (He didn’t arrive? He would have gotten lost / presumably got lost.)

Practice What You’ve Learned

Ready to practice the Spanish conditional perfect? Head over to our Practice page and select the “condicional perfecto” option.

Focus on forming sentences about past hypotheticals, regrets, and speculations to master this tense.