23.1 What is the Conditional?
The conditional is a form that we use mostly for talking about what someone would do, or what would happen under certain circumstances, like Yo no entraría, "I wouldn't go in there."
It also lets us talk about future plans from a past perspective, as in Carlos dijo que llegaría para las cinco, "Carlos said he would arrive by 5."
The Simple Conditional
The conditional tense indicates actions dependent on a condition; also used for indicating the future from a recalled point in the past.
Below are the endings for regular verbs in the conditional:
Regular Conditional Tense Endings
| Pronouns | -AR verb endings | -ER verb endings | -IR verb endings |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -ía | -ía | -ía |
| tú | -ías | -ías | -ías |
| él/ella/Ud. | -ía | -ía | -ía |
| nosotros/as | -íamos | -íamos | -íamos |
| vosotros/as | -íais | -íais | -íais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -ían | -ían | -ían |
23.2 Regular Verbs in the Conditional
Here are some regular verbs conjugated in the conditional:
That's it! What an easy step on the road to becoming the VerbMaster!
So, for a quick wrap-up, remember that if the future is will + verb, the conditional is would + verb. How's that? Straightforward enough? That ought to get you going.
23.3 Using the Conditional
Below are some examples of how you can use the conditional in the real world:
Hablaríamos con nuestro abuelo, pero la tabla de ouija está rota.
We would speak to our grandpa, but the ouija board is broken.
Ustedes comerían más pan si fueran patos.
You all would eat more bread if you were ducks.
Ellos vivirían entre las ninfas de los árboles si fuera socialmente aceptable.
They would live amongst the tree nymphs if it was socially acceptable.
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 23