The conditional: politeness, advice, hypotheses

The conditional is the Spanish equivalent of English would + verb: hablaría = I would speak. It describes what would happen in imagined circumstances, and it makes requests and advice softer.

Forms: the future's stems, the imperfect's endings

Like the future (The simple future (hablaré) and irregular stems), the conditional starts from the whole infinitive. The endings are the -ía endings that -er/-ir verbs use in the imperfect (The imperfect: forms and uses), for all three groups.

Every form has an accent on the í. The yo and él forms are identical, so add the subject if it isn't clear.

The same twelve irregular stems as the future are used: diría, haría, podría, querría, sabría, habría, cabría, pondría, saldría, tendría, vendría, valdría.

Don't confuse comía (I was eating, imperfect) with comería (I would eat). The conditional always contains the infinitive's r.

1. Politeness

The conditional softens a request or a wish. This is the most frequent use in daily life.

• ¿Podría traerme un vaso de agua?Could you bring me a glass of water?
• Me gustaría reservar una mesa para dos.I'd like to book a table for two.
• ¿Os importaría cerrar la ventana?Would you mind closing the window?

You will also hear quisiera (I would like). It is a different form (the imperfect subjunctive, The imperfect subjunctive: -ra and -se forms) but you can use it as a set phrase: Quisiera hablar con el director.

2. Advice

Deberías (you should) and yo que tú or yo en tu lugar (if I were you) + conditional are the standard ways to give advice.

• Deberías dormir más.You should sleep more.
• Yo que tú, hablaría con ella.If I were you, I'd talk to her.
• En tu lugar, no compraría ese coche.In your place, I wouldn't buy that car.

3. Imagined situations

• Con más tiempo, aprendería a tocar el piano.With more time, I'd learn to play the piano.
• Sería genial vivir cerca del mar.It would be great to live near the sea.
• Yo nunca diría eso.I would never say that.

Full if-sentences (si tuviera tiempo, aprendería…) need the imperfect subjunctive after si: see Hypotheses: si tuviera, iría. Never put the conditional right after si.

4. The future seen from the past

When you report what someone said about the future, the future becomes conditional (more in Reporting what someone said: dijo que…):

• Nos dijo que vendría a las ocho.He told us he would come at eight.

5. A guess about the past

Just as the future guesses about the present (The future for guesses: Serán las diez), the conditional guesses about the past:

• Serían las tres cuando sonó el teléfono.It must have been about three when the phone rang.

When English "would" is NOT the conditional

• A past habit: When I was a child, I would play in the park = De niño jugaba en el parque (imperfect).
• A past refusal: She wouldn't tell me = No quiso decírmelo (preterite of querer).

Latin America

The forms and uses are the same. Ustedes replaces vosotros: ¿Les importaría cerrar la ventana?

Common mistakes

• Si tendría dinero, viajaría: no conditional after si. The correct form, si tuviera, comes at B2.
• Cuando era pequeño, jugaría en la calle: a past habit is the imperfect: jugaba.
• Haceríamos, poneríais: use the irregular stems: haríamos, pondríais.
• Hablaria: the í always carries a written accent.
• Me gustaré for I'd like: that is the future. Say me gustaría.