Topic:
The conditional tense lets us talk about what would happen, if only... something.
Introducing the Conditional
If you just finished learning the future tense in the previous unit, you're going to like this tense.
Why? Because the two tenses are very similar. They even have the same exceptions, irregular in exactly the same way.
The conditional tense is used to express an action that would occur if some other condition is met.
Uses of the Conditional Tense
Example:
I would read that, but I don't have time.
Leería este libro, pero no tengo tiempo.
In English the conditional is a compound tense, expressed here as would read. In Spanish, the single word leería conveys the same idea.
Example:
My uncle would help you.
Mi tío te ayudaría.
In this example the attached condition is not stated explicitly, but it still exists. Perhaps the full thought would be My uncle would help you if you asked him.
How to Form the Conditional
The conditional tense is formed by taking the infinitive of the verb and adding the conditional tense endings.
Coincidentally, those endings are the same ones you learned for the imperfect past tense of -er and -ir verbs. Each ending starts with -ía.
Let's look at the verb comer, which means to eat. The conditional conjugations of comer mean I would eat, You would eat, etc.
Conditional conjugation of comer
Conditional vs Imperfect
Since the verb endings are the same, it is worth taking a moment to clarify the difference between the imperfect past and the conditional tense.
The word comería adds -ía to the infinitive verb. This is the conditional tense, and the word means I would eat.
The word comía adds -ía to the verb stem. This is the imperfect past tense, and the word means I used to eat.
Would in English can be Misleading
Unfortunately you can't assume that whenever you see the word would in English that you should use the conditional tense.
Consider these two sentences using different forms of comer.
Example 1:
In the summer, I would eat a lot of fruit.
En el verano, comía mucha fruta.
In this sentence, I would eat actually means something like I often ate and it is not an example of a conditional statement.
The phrase In the summer is not a condition here, but instead simply sets the time.
Therefore, this sentence calls for the Spanish imperfect past tense form comía.
Example 2:
I would eat more fruit if it weren't so expensive.
Comería más fruta si no fuera tan cara.
Now the phrase I would eat is an example of the conditional tense. It represents something that would happen if the condition expressed in the next phrase was met.
Thus, it uses the Spanish conditional comería.
Another Example Conjugation
Remember that the same conjugation pattern is used for all verbs, whether -ar, -er, or -ir.
Let's do one more for good measure:
Conditional conjugation of comprar (to buy)
Me gustaría means I Would Like
One commonly used verb in the conditional tense is gustar.
It is used to say what one would like to have or do.
Example:
We would like to live in Argentina.
Nos gustaría vivir en Argentina.
Remember that this verb appears here in its singular form because the subject is to live in Argentina, not We.
Another Useful Conditional Verb: Debería
The meaning of the versatile verb deber is sometimes hard to explain, so it is best to just learn what it means in context in the various tenses.
Here in the conditional tense, the forms of deber mean should.
Example:
My friends should read this book.
Mis amigos deberían leer este libro.
The Conditional Often Appears with the Subjunctive
So far, we haven't talked about the subjunctive mood much. It is an advanced topic, and one that merits quite a few lessons on its own.
I mention it here because you will often see verbs in a subjunctive tense in the example sentences for the conditional.
Example:
I would buy this house if I had more money.
Compraría esta casa si tuviera más dinero.
It's not important that you know the details yet, but tuviera is a subjunctive past tense form of tener.
And with that, let's head to the exercises. In this lesson, only regular verbs in the conditional are requested.
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To practice the verb forms in this lesson, click Practice Exercises below.
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