The conditional tense in Spanish

• Use the conditional tense when talking about what might happen in the future.

• The verbme gustaría (I would like) is frequently used in the conditional to talk about what you would like to do in the future.

• Other common verbs in the conditional are: poder (to be able to) and deber (should).

The conditional tense is used to describe what someone would do or what would happen in the future. It can also be used to express ambitions and intentions.

For example:

I would like to play football.

We would like to go to the cinema.

The most common verb in the conditional tense is me gustaría (I would like). This can be used to say what you would like to do in the future.

Me gustaría is followed by an infinitive.

For example:

Me gustaría vivir en Nueva York. - I would like to live in New York.

It can also be used for polite requests.

For example:

Me gustaría hablar con el jefe. - I would like to speak to the boss.

The verb poder (to be able) can be used in the conditional to make a polite request or express possibility.

For example:

¿Podrías prestarme un bolígrafo? - Could you lend me a pen?

La visita podría ser interesante. - The visit could be interesting.

The conditional of the verb deber is used to mean should.

For example:

Debería beber más agua. - I should drink more water.

Los profesores deberían ser menos estrictos. - The teachers should be less strict.

The conditional of hay (there is/there are) is habría (there would be).

For example:

En mi ciudad ideal habría una piscina. - In my ideal town, there would be a swimming pool.

The conditional is often used to say what would happen if something else occurred.

For example:

Si tuviera mucho dinero, iría de vacaciones. - If I had a lot of money, I would go on holiday.

Si fuera rico, compraría un coche rápido. - If I were rich, I would buy a fast car.

The conditional tense is formed by adding the conditional endings to the infinitive. The endings are the same for ar, er and ir verbs.

Verbs that have an irregular stem in the future tense also have an irregular stem in the conditional tense although the endings are regular. The table shows some common irregular stem verbs:

hay (there is/are) becomes habría (there would be).

For example:

Mi hermana podría ir al cine. - My sister would be able to go to the cinema.

Yo no tendría carne porque soy vegetariano. - I would not have meat because I’m vegetarian.

Mi mama nunca haría el esquí. - My mum would never go skiing.

Mi colegio ideal tendría una piscina. - My ideal school would have a swimming pool.

¿Que harías? - What would you do?

Practise what you've learned about the conditional tense in Spanish with this quiz.

The conditional tense is formed by adding the conditional endings to the infinitive. The endings are the same for ar, er and ir verbs.

The table shows the we, you (plural) and they forms of regular verbs.

Verbs that have an irregular stem in the future tense also have an irregular stem in the conditional tense although the endings are regular. The table shows some common irregular stem verbs:

For example:

Diría que es muy interesante. - I would say it is very interesting.

Mis amigos saldrían todo el tiempo. - My friends would go out all the time.

Juan no vendría a la fiesta. - Juan wouldn’t come to the party.

Practise what you've learned about the conditional tense in Spanish with this quiz.

Now you have learned about the conditional tense in Spanish why not explore the imperfect tense in Spanish?