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Conditional tense in Spanish.How & when to use it.

What is the conditional tense in Spanish

The conditional tense (condicional simple) is used to talk about things that would happen under certain conditions. It's the Spanish way of expressing "would" in English.

When to use the conditional tense in Spanish

The conditional tense (condicional simple) helps you sound polite, express wishes, or talk about "what could happen." Here are the most common uses:

💬 Politeness

Use it to make your requests or offers softer and more respectful.

  • ¿Podrías ayudarme? (Could you help me?)
  • Me gustaría un café, por favor. (I’d like a coffee, please.)

💭 Hypothetical situations

Talk about something that would happen if the situation were different.

  • Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo.
    (If I had money, I would travel the world.)

🕰️ Future in the past

Say what someone was supposed to do from a past point of view.

  • Dijo que llegaría a las nueve.
    (He said he would arrive at nine.)

🌟 Desires & dreams

Share what you’d like to do or wish would happen.

  • Me gustaría visitar España algún día.
    (I’d like to visit Spain someday.)

💡 Suggestions

Give polite advice or make gentle recommendations.

  • Deberías hablar con ella.
    (You should talk to her.)

Tip: This tense is used a lot in both speaking and writing. If you want to sound natural and fluent, it’s one of the most useful tenses to practice!

How to form the conditional in Spanish

To form the conditional, simply add the correct endings to the infinitive form of the verb. Example: vivir → viviría

Infinitive Verb Ending Example
hablar -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían Yo hablaría (I would speak)
comer -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían comerías (You would eat)
vivir -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían Él/Ella viviría (He/She would live)

The conditional tense is common in everyday conversation and writing. It helps you sound polite, express possibilities, and speak more naturally in real conversations.

How to conjugate verbs in the condicional tense

The condicional simple tense is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions. Here’s how you can conjugate both regular and irregular verbs in this tense.

Regular verbs: To conjugate regular verbs in the condicional simple tense, add the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb:

  • -ía
  • -ías
  • -ía
  • -íamos
  • -íais
  • -ían

Example with regular -ar verb: hablar (to speak)

SubjectConjugation
yohablaría
hablarías
él/ella/ustedhablaría
nosotros/nosotrashablaríamos
vosotros/vosotrashablaríais
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablarían

Example with regular -er verb: comer (to eat)

SubjectConjugation
yocomería
comerías
él/ella/ustedcomería
nosotros/nosotrascomeríamos
vosotros/vosotrascomeríais
ellos/ellas/ustedescomerían

Example with regular -ir verb: vivir (to live)

SubjectConjugation
yoviviría
vivirías
él/ella/ustedviviría
nosotros/nosotrasviviríamos
vosotros/vosotrasviviríais
ellos/ellas/ustedesvivirían

Irregular verbs: Irregular verbs have changes in the stem but use the same endings as regular verbs:

  • decir → dir-
  • hacer → har-
  • poder → podr-
  • poner → pondr-
  • querer → querr-
  • saber → sabr-
  • salir → saldr-
  • tener → tendr-
  • venir → vendr-

Example with irregular verb: tener (to have)

SubjectConjugation
yotendría
tendrías
él/ella/ustedtendría
nosotros/nosotrastendríamos
vosotros/vosotrastendríais
ellos/ellas/ustedestendrían

Trigger words and expressions for condicional in Spanish

The conditional tense (condicional simple) is often used after certain key words or expressions that show:

  • A possibility
  • A hypothetical situation
  • A polite request

Here are the most common ones:

🔹 si (if)

Often used to start a conditional sentence.

  • Si tuviera tiempo, iría al cine.
    (If I had time, I would go to the movies.)

🔹 pero (but)

Can signal contrast or an imagined scenario.

  • Me encantaría viajar, pero no tengo dinero.
    (I would love to travel, but I don’t have money.)

🔹 quizás / tal vez (maybe / perhaps)

Used to express uncertainty or possibility.

  • Quizás vendría a la fiesta.
    (Maybe he/she would come to the party.)

🔹 gustar (to like)

Common in polite requests or wishes.

  • Me gustaría un café, por favor.
    (I would like a coffee, please.)

🔹 querer (to want)

Used to express polite intentions.

  • Querría saber la respuesta.
    (I’d like to know the answer.)

🔹 deber (should / ought to)

Suggests a soft obligation or advice.

  • Deberías estudiar más.
    (You should study more.)

🔹 poder (could)

Indicates ability or possibility.

  • Podría ayudarte mañana.
    (I could help you tomorrow.)

Tip: If you see these words, there's a good chance you need the conditional tense. Start recognizing the pattern — and try building your own examples to practice!

Test your knowledge

Collect the sentence by selecting the correct words in order.

She would play the piano if she had one. - Translate this sentence to Spanish.

Usage Examples Conditional Tense

  • Ella tocaría piano si tuviera uno. - She would play the piano if she had one.
  • Si estudias más, entenderías mejor. - If you studied more, you would understand better.
  • Nosotros visitaríamos a nuestros abuelos si viviéramos cerca. - We would visit our grandparents if we lived nearby.
  • Ellos jugarían fútbol si no estuviera lloviendo. - They would play football if it weren't raining.
  • Si hiciera calor, iríamos a la playa. - If it were hot, we would go to the beach.
  • Si tuviera coche, iría al trabajo. - If I had a car, I would go to work.
  • Me gustaría visitar España algún día. - I would like to visit Spain someday.
  • Decidiría rápido si tuviera más información. - I would decide quickly if I had more information.
  • Leería más libros si tuviera tiempo. - I would read more books if I had time.
  • Pediría una pizza, pero no tengo suficiente dinero. - I would order a pizza, but I don't have enough money.
  • Vería más televisión si tuviera tiempo. - I would watch more television if I had time.
  • Si tuvieras tiempo, podríamos salir juntos. - If you had time, we could go out together.
  • Comería pizza todos los días si pudiera. - I would eat pizza every day if I could.
  • Me encantaría ver esa película. - I would love to see that movie.
  • Me alegraría verte el fin de semana. - I'd be happy to see you this weekend.
  • Si fuera posible, hablaría con él. - If it were possible, I would speak with him.
  • Ellos estudiarían más si no tuvieran que trabajar. - They would study more if they didn't have to work.
  • Ellos cantarían si supieran la canción. - They would sing if they knew the song.
  • Si fuera maestro, enseñaría matemáticas. - If I were a teacher, I would teach math.
  • Si tuviera un perro, lo sacaría a pasear. - If I had a dog, I would take it for a walk.