The perfect conditional (condicional compuesto) in Spanish is used to describe actions that would have happened if certain conditions had been met. It combines the conditional form of haber with a past participle, expressing hypothetical or unrealized events in the past.
- Describes actions/events that would have occurred under certain conditions
- Expresses hypothetical or unrealized past situations
- Formed with conditional haber + past participle
Only hypothetical or unrealized past events are expressed with the perfect conditional.
The perfect conditional is for hypothetical actions that would have taken place if conditions were met.
The perfect conditional uses conditional 'haber' plus a past participle.
Yes, it’s often used to speculate about what might have happened.
Usage
Use the perfect conditional to express that something would have happened if conditions had been right.
- Hypothetical outcomes ("If I had known, I would have...")
- Speculation about the past (“He would have arrived earlier if...”)
- Polite assumptions or suggestions about past events
Example:
Si hubiera tenido tiempo, habría viajado más.
(If I had had time, I would have traveled more.)
The perfect conditional is for unrealized, hypothetical, or speculative situations in the past.
Yes, it’s used in the main clause of unreal past conditionals.
Forming the Perfect Conditional
The perfect conditional is formed with the conditional tense of haber and the past participle of the main verb.
| Subject | Conditional haber | Example (viajar) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | Habría | Habría viajado |
| Tú | Habrías | Habrías viajado |
| Él/Ella/Ud | Habría | Habría viajado |
| Nosotros | Habríamos | Habríamos viajado |
| Vosotros | Habríais | Habríais viajado |
| Ellos/Uds | Habrían | Habrían viajado |
Past participle: -ar → -ado, -er/-ir → -ido
(viajar → viajado, comer → comido, vivir → vivido)
Example:
Nosotros habríamos comprado la casa si...
(We would have bought the house if...)
The auxiliary verb 'haber' is used in its conditional form.
Use 'haber' in conditional + past participle.
The past participle is 'viajado.'
Examples
| Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|
| Yo habría trabajado más si... | I would have worked more if... |
| Ellos habrían salido temprano... | They would have left early if... |
| Nosotros habríamos comprado... | We would have bought... |
If I had seen you, I would have greeted you:
Si te hubiera visto, te habría saludado.
Only hypothetical past situations use the perfect conditional.
The correct translation uses the perfect conditional with a hypothetical clause.
Yes, this is a correct and typical use for a hypothetical situation.
Use 'habríamos' + past participle: 'Te habríamos ayudado.'
Conditional Haber
| Subject | Haber (conditional) |
|---|---|
| Yo | Habría |
| Tú | Habrías |
| Él/Ella/Ud | Habría |
| Nosotros | Habríamos |
| Vosotros | Habríais |
| Ellos/Uds | Habrían |
Use this with the past participle of the main verb:
Habría + [past participle]
Common Verbs: Past Participles
| Verb | Meaning | Past Participle | Example (Yo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hablar | To speak | Hablado | Habría hablado |
| Comer | To eat | Comido | Habría comido |
| Vivir | To live | Vivido | Habría vivido |
| Comprar | To buy | Comprado | Habría comprado |
| Ver | To see | Visto | Habría visto |
| Hacer | To do/make | Hecho | Habría hecho |
The correct past participle is 'hecho.'
Correct past participles include Hablado, Comido, Vivido, Hecho.
Practice
Convert the following verbs into the perfect conditional form for “nosotros”: viajar, comer, hacer.
Answer:
- Viajar → Habríamos viajado
- Comer → Habríamos comido
- Hacer → Habríamos hecho
Sample Conditional Sentence
Si me hubieras llamado, habría ido contigo.
(If you had called me, I would have gone with you.)
Conclusion
The perfect conditional allows nuanced expression of unrealized possibilities, making conversations about the past more rich and precise.
- Use it for hypothetical, unrealized, or speculative past events.
- Form by combining conditional haber + past participle.
- Essential for advanced fluency and understanding conditional narratives.