How to Use and Conjugate the Spanish Conditional Tense (Condicional Simple)
Ever wanted to say things like “I would travel more” or “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” in Spanish? Then the Spanish conditional tense (el condicional simple) is just what you need.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to conjugate it, when to use it, and we’ll throw in a little practice too. Ready? Let’s go!
Contents on this post
How to conjugate the conditional tense in Spanish
The great thing about the Spanish conditional tense is that it’s super regular. For regular verbs, just add these endings to the infinitive form (that’s the base form like hablar, comer, vivir):
- yo: -ía
- tú: -ías
- él/ella/usted: -ía
- nosotros/as: -íamos
- vosotros/as: -íais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ían
These endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
Examples:
hablar (to speak) → yo hablaría, tú hablarías, él/ella hablaría…
comer (to eat) → yo comería, tú comerías…
vivir (to live) → yo viviría, tú vivirías…
Irregular verbs in the conditional tense
Some verbs have irregular stems, but the endings stay exactly the same as for regular verbs in the Spanish conditional tense.
Here are the most common ones:
| Verb (Infinitive) | Irregular Stem | Example (yo form) |
|---|---|---|
| decir (to say) | dir- | diría |
| hacer (to do/make) | har- | haría |
| poder (can) | podr- | podría |
| poner (to put) | pondr- | pondría |
| querer (to want) | querr- | querría |
| saber (to know) | sabr- | sabría |
| salir (to leave) | saldr- | saldría |
| tener (to have) | tendr- | tendría |
| venir (to come) | vendr- | vendría |
When do we use the Spanish conditional tense?
1. To express hypothetical situations
Si tuviera más tiempo, viajaría más.
(If I had more time, I would travel more.)
2. To make polite requests or offers
¿Podrías ayudarme con esto?
(Could you help me with this?)
3. To talk about the future from a past point of view
Ella dijo que vendría más tarde.
(She said she would come later.)
4. To express wishes or dreams
Me encantaría vivir junto al mar.
(I would love to live by the sea.)
5. To give advice or suggestions
Yo que tú, no lo haría.
(If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.)
We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.
In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while.
The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Out team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we come back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.
Try it yourself!
Let’s see how you do. Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verb in the Spanish conditional tense:
- Yo que tú, no __________ eso. (decir)
- ¿__________ tú ir a la fiesta este sábado? (querer)
- Mis padres me __________ un coche si pudieran. (comprar)
- Nosotros te __________, pero estamos muy ocupados. (ayudar)
- Ellos __________ más felices si vivieran en el campo. (ser)
Scroll down for the answers — but try them on your own first!
Want to keep learning?
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Contact us here. Let’s take your Spanish to the next level!
✅ Answers to the Practice Section
- diría
- querrías
- comprarían
- ayudaríamos
- serían
big learning.
We are CactusBCN Languages, a Spanish language school located in Barcelona.
In March 2020, the pandemic situation encouraged us to start teaching online. All our students were happy with this change so we will keep teaching online for a while 🙂
The school was founded and is run by enthusiastic teachers. Our team was teaching Spanish around the world for a few years and when we came back to Spain, we decided to start our own school.
Online classes are as fun as face-to-face classes but with the added benefits of online learning:
- You can save time and money on travel.
- Continue to study from anywhere. You don't have to interrupt your classes or change schools if you move to another city or travel.
- Access your class materials at any time. Digital materials are always available to study or do homework.
