🔮 Level B1 · Spanish Grammar
CONDICIONAL
SIMPLE
The Simple Conditional — hypotheticals, dreams, polite requests, and “what would happen if…”
What is it?
The Conditional Mood
The condicional simple expresses what would happen under certain conditions. It lives in the realm of hypotheticals, wishes, and polite expressions — the tense of “what if” and “I would…”
In English it equals “would + verb”: “I would travel”, “she would eat”, “they would live”. In Spanish, it’s expressed with a single conjugated verb form.
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The “future of the past”: The conditional uses the same stems as the future simple — but instead of -é, -ás, -á… you add -ía, -ías, -ía… Think of it as the future tense wearing a different costume!
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Great news — one set of endings: Unlike the present simple, the conditional has the same endings for -AR, -ER and -IR verbs. Just add them to the infinitive (or irregular stem).
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Same irregulars as the future: The verbs that have irregular stems in the future simple use the exact same stems in the conditional. Learn them once, use them twice!
The Si-Clause Structure
If… Then… — Hypotheticals
The most common use of the conditional is in si (if) sentences. The “if” clause uses the imperfect subjunctive and the result clause uses the conditional.
Si + Imperfect Subj.
Si tuviera dinero
If I had money…
→
Conditional
viajaría al mundo
…I would travel the world
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Order is flexible! The si clause can come first or second: “Si tuviera tiempo, estudiaría“ OR “Estudiaría si tuviera tiempo.” The meaning is the same!
Common conditional expressions
en tu lugarin your place / if I were you
si pudieraif I could
si tuvieraif I had
me gustaríaI would like
podríaI/you/he could (would be able to)
deberíashould / ought to
ojalá pudieraI wish I could
¿Podría…?Could you…? (polite)
Formation — All Verb Types
How to Form the Condicional Simple
Keep the full infinitive (don’t drop anything!) and add the conditional endings. The same six endings work for every regular verb, regardless of whether it ends in -AR, -ER, or -IR.
The Formula — Infinitive stays intact
Full infinitive
+
-ía / -ías / -ía / -íamos / -íais / -ían
=
hablaría ✓
-ARhablarto speak
yohablaría
túhablarías
él / ellahablaría
nosotroshablaríamos
vosotroshablaríais
ellos / ellashablarían
-ERcomerto eat
yocomería
túcomerías
él / ellacomería
nosotroscomeríamos
vosotroscomeríais
ellos / ellascomerían
-IRvivirto live
yoviviría
túvivirías
él / ellaviviría
nosotrosviviríamos
vosotrosviviríais
vivirían
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Yo = él/ella again! Just like the future simple, the yo and él/ella forms are identical in the conditional: hablaría. Context or subject pronoun clarifies the meaning.
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The accent on the í is always written: Every single conditional form carries a written accent on the í: hablaría, comerías, viviríamos. Don’t forget it!
Irregular verbs
⚠️ Irregular Stems — Same as the Future!
These verbs use a modified stem instead of the full infinitive — but then add the same conditional endings as regular verbs. The stems are identical to the future simple stems.
tener
tendr-
tendría, tendrías…
venir
vendr-
vendría, vendrías…
poner
pondr-
pondría, pondrías…
salir
saldr-
saldría, saldrías…
poder
podr-
podría, podrías…
saber
sabr-
sabría, sabrías…
haber
habr-
habría, habrías…
caber
cabr-
cabría, cabrías…
hacer
har-
haría, harías…
decir
dir-
diría, dirías…
querer
querr-
querría, querrías…
valer
valdr-
valdría, valdrías…
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Group them: tener, venir, poner, salir, valer → insert a d. haber, saber, caber, poder, querer → drop the vowel. hacer, decir → unique short stems.
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Study smarter: Since the future and conditional share the same stems, if you already know tendré (future), just swap the ending: tendría (conditional). Two tenses for the price of one!
When to use it — Part 1
🎯 Main Uses of the Conditional
Use 1 — Hypothetical situations
What WOULD happen if a condition were met
The main use — expressing the result of an imaginary scenario.
“Si tuviera más tiempo, viajaría por todo el mundo.” — If I had more time, I would travel the world.
Use 2 — Polite requests & offers
Softening requests to sound more polite
Much more polite than the imperative or simple present.
“¿Podría usted hablar más despacio?” — Could you speak more slowly?
Use 3 — Wishes & desires
What you would like or wish to happen
Gustar in the conditional is especially common.
“Me gustaría aprender a tocar la guitarra.” — I would like to learn to play the guitar.
When to use it — Part 2
🎯 More Uses
Use 4 — Advice & recommendations (softened)
Should / ought to — giving advice diplomatically
Deber in the conditional softens advice and suggestions.
“En tu lugar, yo estudiaría más.” — In your place, I would study more.
“Deberías llamar al médico.” — You should call the doctor.
“Deberías llamar al médico.” — You should call the doctor.
Use 5 — Speculation about the past (future of the past)
Guessing what probably happened
Used when reporting speech or guessing about past events.
“Dijo que vendría a las ocho.” — He said he would come at eight.
“Serían las tres cuando llegó.” — It was probably three o’clock when he arrived.
“Serían las tres cuando llegó.” — It was probably three o’clock when he arrived.
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En tu lugar… One of the most useful phrases — “In your place/position, I would…”: “En tu lugar, hablaría con el jefe.” Natural, everyday advice-giving!
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¿Qué harías si…? “What would you do if…?” is a classic conversation opener that always triggers the conditional. Great for practice conversations!
Conditional vs Future Simple
🆚 Would vs Will
The conditional and the future simple look similar but convey very different certainty levels.
| Aspect | Conditional | Future Simple |
|---|---|---|
| English equiv. | would + verb | will + verb |
| Certainty | Hypothetical / unreal | Real / expected |
| Condition | Depends on a condition | No condition needed |
| Example | Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría. | Mañana viajaré a París. |
| Key trigger | si + past subj., en tu lugar, quisiera… | mañana, el próximo año, pronto… |
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Quick test: Could you say “will” in English? → Future. Could you say “would”? → Conditional. “Tomorrow I will go” → iré. “If I could, I would go” → iría.
Examples in context
💬 The Conditional in Real Sentences
Si pudiera, daría la vuelta al mundo.
If I could, I would go around the world.
hypothetical si-clause
¿Podría traerme la cuenta, por favor?
Could you bring me the bill, please?
polite request
Me gustaría aprender a tocar el piano.
I would like to learn to play the piano.
wish / desire
En tu lugar, yo descansaría más.
In your place, I would rest more.
advice — en tu lugar
Dijo que llamaría después de comer.
He said he would call after eating.
future of the past / reported speech
Si viviera en el campo, estaría más tranquilo.
If I lived in the countryside, I would be more relaxed.
irregular: estar → estaría
1
Conjugate the Verb
– Write the correct condicional simple form.
yo / hablar
tú / comer
él / vivir
nosotros / trabajar
vosotros / beber
ellos / escribir
yo / tener (irreg.)
ella / hacer (irreg.)
ellos / poder (irreg.)
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2
Complete the Sentence
– Use the verb in the condicional simple.
Si tuviera más dinero, un coche eléctrico. comprar
¿ usted hablar más despacio, por favor? poder
En tu lugar, yo no eso. decir
Me mucho vivir cerca del mar. gustar
Ella dijo que pronto. volver
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3
Correct or Incorrect?
– Is the condicional form right?
Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría a Japón.
✔ Correct! viajaría = yo conditional of viajar (infinitive + -ía).
¿Podría me ayudar con esto?
✘ Incorrect word order! In Spanish, object pronouns go before the verb: ¿Me podría ayudar? OR after an infinitive: ¿Podría ayudarme?
Nosotros comeríamos más si el restaurante fuera mejor.
✔ Correct! comeríamos = nosotros conditional of comer (comer + -íamos).
Ella haceía ese trabajo si le pagaran bien.
✘ Incorrect! hacer is irregular — its conditional stem is har-, not hace-. The correct form is haría.
En tu lugar, yo hablaría con el director.
✔ Correct! hablaría = yo conditional of hablar. Classic advice structure with en tu lugar.
Ellos vendrían a la fiesta si no tuvieran que trabajar.
✔ Correct! vendrían = ellos conditional of venir (irregular stem vendr- + -ían).
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4
Put the Words in Order
– Build the conditional sentence. Click the answer area to undo the last word.
Sentence 1 — a hypothetical (si clause):
Si
pudiera,
viviría
en
la
playa.
Click words above…
Sentence 2 — a polite request:
¿Me
podría
traer
un
vaso
de
agua?
Click words above…
Sentence 3 — giving advice (en tu lugar):
En
tu
lugar,
yo
llamaría
al
médico.
Click words above…
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