The simple conditional tense in Spanish expresses actions that would happen if certain conditions were met, or it can be used for polite requests and suggestions. It’s similar to the English "would" form.
- Expresses hypothetical or potential actions.
- Used for courtesy: "Me gustaría..." (I would like...).
- The same endings are used for all regular verbs: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Hypothetical actions and polite requests/suggestions are the main uses of the simple conditional.
Formation
For all regular verbs, drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add these endings to the full infinitive:
| Subject | Ending | Example: viajar (to travel) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | -ía | viajaría (I would travel) |
| Tú | -ías | viajarías (You would travel) |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | -ía | viajaría (He/She/You would travel) |
| Nosotros | -íamos | viajaríamos (We would travel) |
| Vosotros | -íais | viajaríais (You all would travel) |
| Ellos/Uds. | -ían | viajarían (They would travel) |
- This pattern applies to all regular verbs, regardless of their infinitive ending.
The endings are -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Examples
| Use | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical | Yo viajaría por el mundo. | I would travel around the world. |
| Polite Request | ¿Podrías ayudarme? | Could you help me? |
| Suggestion | Deberíamos salir temprano. | We should leave early. |
| Hypothetical Circum. | Compraría una casa si pudiera. | I would buy a house if I could. |
- Example with different verbs:
Comer: Yo comería pizza todos los días. (I would eat pizza every day.)
Vivir: Ellos vivirían en la playa. (They would live on the beach.)
viajaría, viajarías, viajaríamos are correct; the others are not.
Conditional with Hypothetical Clauses
The simple conditional often appears in "if" (si) clauses:
- Main clause: conditional | "Si" + present = ...,
e.g. Si estudio, viajaré. (If I study, I will travel.)
- For hypothetical situations:
"Si" + imperfect subjunctive → conditional in main clause:
e.g. Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. (If I had money, I would travel.)
Main clause uses conditional; 'si' clause uses imperfect subjunctive.
The Spanish simple conditional lets you express what would happen in various scenarios, making your language more nuanced and polite.
- Attach -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to any verb’s infinitive.
- Use for hypotheticals, suggestions, and polite requests.
- Combine with "si" for powerful hypothetical sentences.