The conditional tense (Condicional Simple) in Spanish is used to express hypothetical situations, possibilities, polite requests, suggestions, and conjecture about the past. It’s equivalent to the English construction “would + verb.”

When to Use the Spanish Conditional Tense

The Spanish conditional tense is used in several key contexts:

1. Hypothetical Situations or Possibilities

Used for actions that would happen under certain conditions (often implied or stated in an “if” clause).

  • Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo. (If I had money, I would travel the world.)
  • ¿Qué harías en mi lugar? (What would you do in my place?)
  • Con más tiempo, terminaríamos el proyecto. (With more time, we would finish the project.)

2. Polite Requests or Suggestions

Softens requests or suggestions, making them less direct.

  • ¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor? (Could/Would you help me, please?)

  • Me gustaría un café. (I would like a coffee.)

  • Deberías estudiar más. (You should study more - softened advice)

3. Expressing Future from a Past Perspective

To talk about what someone thought or said would happen in the future, viewed from the past.

  • Dijo que vendría a la fiesta. (He said he would come to the party.)

  • Pensé que llegarían más tarde. (I thought they would arrive later.)

4. Conjecture or Probability About the Past

Expressing what might have happened or was probably true in the past.

  • ¿Dónde estaba Juan ayer? — Estaría en casa. (Where was Juan yesterday? — He was probably at home / He would have been at home.)
  • Serían las tres cuando llamaron. (It was probably around three when they called.)

Spanish Conditional Tense Conjugation

Similar to the future tense, the conditional tense is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb. The endings are the same for all -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Regular Conditional Tense Endings

Regular Conditional Endings (for all verbs)

  • yo: -ía

  • tú: -ías

  • él/ella/usted: -ía

  • nosotros/as: -íamos

  • vosotros/as: -íais

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ían

Regular Verb Conjugations

Hablar (to speak)

  • yo hablaría (I would speak)
  • tú hablarías (you would speak)
  • él/ella/usted hablaría (he/she/you would speak)
  • nosotros/as hablaríamos (we would speak)
  • vosotros/as hablaríais (you all would speak [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes hablarían (they/you all would speak)

Comer (to eat)

  • yo comería (I would eat)
  • tú comerías (you would eat)
  • él/ella/usted comería (he/she/you would eat)
  • nosotros/as comeríamos (we would eat)
  • vosotros/as comeríais (you all would eat [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes comerían (they/you all would eat)

Vivir (to live)

  • yo viviría (I would live)

  • tú vivirías (you would live)

  • él/ella/usted viviría (he/she/you would live)

  • nosotros/as viviríamos (we would live)

  • vosotros/as viviríais (you all would live [Spain])

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes vivirían (they/you all would live)

Irregular Verb Stems in Conditional Tense

The same verbs that have irregular stems in the future tense also have irregular stems in the conditional tense. You use the same irregular stem and add the regular conditional endings.

Common Irregular Stems (Same as Future)

  • decir → dir- (diría, dirías…)

  • hacer → har- (haría, harías…)

  • poder → podr- (podría, podrías…)

  • poner → pondr- (pondría, pondrías…)

  • querer → querr- (querría, querrías…)

  • saber → sabr- (sabría, sabrías…)

  • salir → saldr- (saldría, saldrías…)

  • tener → tendr- (tendría, tendrías…)

  • venir → vendr- (vendría, vendrías…)

Irregular Verb Examples

Tener (to have)

  • yo tendría (I would have)
  • tú tendrías (you would have)
  • él/ella/usted tendría (he/she/you would have)
  • nosotros/as tendríamos (we would have)
  • vosotros/as tendríais (you all would have [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes tendrían (they/you all would have)

Hacer (to do/make)

  • yo haría (I would do/make)
  • tú harías (you would do/make)
  • él/ella/usted haría (he/she/you would do/make)
  • nosotros/as haríamos (we would do/make)
  • vosotros/as haríais (you all would do/make [Spain])
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes harían (they/you all would do/make)

Conditional Tense vs. Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s important not to confuse the conditional tense with the imperfect subjunctive, although they often appear together in hypothetical “if” clauses (oraciones condicionales).

”If” Clauses (Type 2 Conditionals)

In sentences expressing hypothetical situations unlikely to happen in the present or future:

  • If Clause: Imperfect Subjunctive

  • Main Clause: Conditional Simple

  • Example: Si tuviera (imp. subj.) más tiempo, viajaría (cond.) más. (If I had more time, I would travel more.)

  • Example: Si fueras (imp. subj.) rico, ¿qué comprarías (cond.)? (If you were rich, what would you buy?)

Note: The conditional tense usually appears in the main clause (the result), while the imperfect subjunctive appears in the “if” clause (the condition).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Future Stem Instead of Infinitive (for regular verbs)

  • Incorrect: Yo hablaré + ía → hablaría (Confusing with future stem logic which isn’t needed here)
  • Correct: hablar (infinitive) + ía → hablaría

2. Using Incorrect Stem for Irregular Verbs

Remember the irregular stems are the same as the future tense stems.

  • Incorrect: Yo hacería (using infinitive)

  • Correct: Yo haría (using irregular stem har-)

3. Confusing Conditional with Imperfect Indicative

The conditional expresses hypotheticals (“would”), while the imperfect indicative describes past habits or ongoing actions (“used to”, “was/were -ing”).

  • Conditional: Si pudiera, iría. (If I could, I would go.)

  • Imperfect: Cuando era niño, iba al parque todos los días.

    (When I was a child, I used to go / would go to the park every day.)

4. Mixing up Conditional and Imperfect Subjunctive in “If” Clauses

Use Imperfect Subjunctive in the “if” part and Conditional in the result part.

  • Incorrect: Si yo tendría dinero, viajaría.
  • Correct: Si yo tuviera (imp. subj.) dinero, viajaría (cond.).

Practice What You’ve Learned

Ready to test your knowledge of the Spanish conditional tense? Head over to our Practice page and select the condicional simple option to practice with unlimited new sentences and examples.

The practice tool will generate new sentences each time, allowing you to reinforce your understanding of conditional tense conjugations and usage in various contexts.