Conditional

The Simple Conditional tense in Spanish, known as "El Condicional Simple," is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions. It is also used to make polite requests or to express a wish or possibility in the future from the perspective of the past. Here's how to understand and use it:

Usage:

  1. Hypothetical actions: The Conditional is used for actions that would happen under certain conditions.

    Si tuviera dinero, compraría un coche nuevo.
    (If I had money, I would buy a new car.)

  2. Polite requests or wishes: It's often used to soften requests or express wishes.

    Quisiera un café, por favor.
    (I would like a coffee, please.)

  3. Future in the past: Used to talk about future actions from the perspective of the past.

    Ella dijo que vendría a la fiesta.
    (She said she would come to the party.)

Conjugation:

To form the Simple Conditional, you add the following endings to the infinitive verb:

  • For -ar, -er, -ir verbs: ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían

Examples:

Yo comería pizza todos los días si pudiera.
(I would eat pizza every day if I could.)

¿Podrías cerrar la puerta, por favor?
(Could you close the door, please?)

Me gustaría aprender a tocar el piano.
(I would like to learn to play the piano.)

Fully Conjugated Verbs:

Hablar (to speak):

  • Yo hablaría
  • Tú hablarías
  • Él/Ella/Usted hablaría
  • Nosotros hablaríamos
  • Vosotros hablaríais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablarían

Comer (to eat):

  • Yo comería
  • Tú comerías
  • Él/Ella/Usted comería
  • Nosotros comeríamos
  • Vosotros comeríais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comerían

Vivir (to live):

  • Yo viviría
  • Tú vivirías
  • Él/Ella/Usted viviría
  • Nosotros viviríamos
  • Vosotros viviríais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivirían

Exercises