Conditional
The conditional tense expresses what would happen, softens requests, and sometimes shows politeness or tentativeness. It attaches endings to the infinitive or uses irregular stems.
Usage
Use the conditional to say what would occur, to make gentle requests, and to express hypotheticals or politeness. It appears in if-clauses and in phrases that soften a demand.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Formation
Attach the conditional endings to the infinitive for regular verbs; the endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir. For irregulars, use the special stem and then add the endings.
| English Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|
| yo (I) | I would ___ |
| tú (you) | you would ___ |
| él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal) | he/she/you would ___ |
| nosotros (we) | we would ___ |
| vosotros (you all) | you all would ___ |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all formal) | they/you all would ___ |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Irregular Verbs
Some high‑frequency verbs change their stem in the conditional but keep the same endings. Learn these common irregulars to sound natural when expressing would.
| English Word(s) | English Word(s) | Spanish Stem |
|---|---|---|
| to have | tener | tendr- |
| to come | venir | vendr- |
| to say/tell | decir | dir- |
| to be able to | poder | podr- |
| to do/make | hacer | har- |
| to put/place | poner | pondr- |
| to want | querer | querr- |
| to go out/leave | salir | saldr- |
| to know (fact) | saber | sabr- |
| to fit | caber | cabr- |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Examples
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌴 If I had a yacht, I would sail to the island. | Si tuviera yate, navegaría a la isla. |
| 🏖️ I would rent a beach house if I had more savings. | Alquilaría una casa en la playa si tuviera más ahorros. |
| ⛵ They would charter a boat if the weather were perfect. | Ellos fletarían un barco si el clima fuera perfecto. |
| 🐬 She would swim with dolphins if she visited the bay. | Ella nadaría con delfines si visitara la bahía. |
Si Clauses
The conditional appears in si‑clauses to show hypotheticals: use si + imperfect subjunctive for unreal situations and pair with the conditional to express what would happen.
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌥️ If it rains, we will stay under the cabana. | Si llueve, nos quedaremos bajo la cabaña. |
| 🔥 If the sun is strong, I will wear a wide hat. | Si el sol está fuerte, usaré un sombrero ancho. |
| 🌊 If the tide rises, the shore party will move inland. | Si la marea sube, la fiesta en la orilla se mudará tierra adentro. |
| 🐈 If the dog digs up the sandcastle, we will build another. | Si el perro destruye el castillo de arena, construiremos otro. |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Useful Expressions
Set phrases in the conditional help soften requests and make speech more polite, such as ¿podría usted...? and me gustaría..., which speakers use in customer service and everyday interactions.
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🏄 I would love to try surfing one day. | Me encantaría probar el surf algún día. |
| 🧴 You should bring sunscreen before going to the beach. | Deberías traer protector solar antes de ir a la playa. |
| 🌅 We could watch the sunset from the pier tonight. | Podríamos ver la puesta de sol desde el muelle esta noche. |
| 🍉 Let's bring some fruit to the beach picnic. | Vamos a traer algo de fruta para el picnic en la playa. |
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Summary
The conditional describes what would happen, adds politeness, and frames hypotheticals. Learn the endings, memorize the common irregular stems, and practice forming gentle requests to sound natural.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025