Conditional Perfect in Spanish

The perfect conditional is a verb tense that we use in Spanish to talk about hypothetical situations in the past, assumptions about events that have already occurred, or about consequences that did not happen.

It is very useful for expressing regrets, missed possibilities, or thinking about "what if...". In this article, you will discover what conditional perfect is, how it is formed, its main uses in Spanish, and how to avoid common mistakes.

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What is the conditional perfect in Spanish?

The conditional perfect is a verbal tense that we use in Spanish to talk about hypothetical situations in the past, assumptions about events that have already occurred or about consequences that did not happen. This verb tense corresponds to the structure “would have” in English. Examples of sentences in the conditional perfect:

• Yo viajaría por el mundo si tuviera tiempo. (I would travel the world if I had time.) (hypothetical situation)
• Me gustaría aprender otro idioma. (I would like to learn another language.) (wish)
• ¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor? (Could you help me, please?) (courtesy)
• Nosotros aceptaríamos el trabajo si nos lo ofrecieran. (We would accept the job if they offered it to us.) (conditional situation)
• Ellos dirían algo si estuvieran aquí. (They would say something if they were here.) (hypothesis)

How to form the conditional perfect in Spanish

Examples with regular verbs

Now let’s analyze some examples showing how regular verbs are conjugated in the conditional perfect.

Verbs ending in -ar

Example with the verb hablar (speak): habría hablado, habrías hablado, habría hablado, habríamos hablado, habríais hablado, habrían hablado. (I would have spoken, you would have spoken, he/she/it would have spoken, we would have spoken, you (plural) would have spoken, they/you (plural formal) would have spoken.)

Examples of verbs in the conditional perfect with -ar ending:

• Yo habría hablado con el profesor si hubiera tenido dudas. (I would have spoken with the teacher if I had had doubts.)
• Tú habrías hablado con tus padres antes de decidir. (You would have spoken with your parents before deciding.)
• Él habría hablado de su proyecto en la reunión. (He would have talked about his project in the meeting.)
• Nosotros habríamos hablado de esto si hubiésemos sabido. (We would have talked about this if we had known.)
• Ellos habrían hablado más si hubieran tenido tiempo. (They would have talked more if they had had time.)

Verbs ending in -er

Example with the verb comer (eat): habría comido, habrías comido, habría comido, habríamos comido, habríais comido, habrían comido. (I would have eaten, you would have eaten, he/she/it would have eaten, we would have eaten, you (plural) would have eaten, they/you (plural formal) would have eaten.)

Examples of verbs in the conditional perfect with -er ending:

• Yo habría comido más si no estuviera a dieta. (I would have eaten more if I were not on a diet.)
• Tú habrías comido en ese restaurante si hubieras sabido que era bueno. (You would have eaten at that restaurant if you had known it was good.)
• Ella habría comido antes de salir si hubiera tenido hambre. (She would have eaten before leaving if she had been hungry.)
• Nosotros habríamos comido juntos si no hubiera llovido. (We would have eaten together if it had not rained.)
• Ellos habrían comido algo rápido antes de la reunión. (They would have eaten something quick before the meeting.)

Verbs ending in -ir

Example with the verb vivir (live): habría vivido, habrías vivido, habría vivido, habríamos vivido, habríais vivido, habrían vivido. (I would have lived, you would have lived, he/she/it would have lived, we would have lived, you (plural) would have lived, they/you (plural formal) would have lived.)

Examples of verbs in the conditional perfect with -ir ending:

• Yo habría vivido en Monterrey si hubiera conseguido trabajo. (I would have lived in Monterrey if I had gotten a job.)
• Tú habrías vivido cerca del mar si hubieras podido. (You would have lived near the sea if you could have.)
• Él habría vivido en Portugal si le hubieran ofrecido una beca. (He would have lived in Portugal if they had offered him a scholarship.)
• Nosotros habríamos vivido en la ciudad si no fuera tan caro. (We would have lived in the city if it were not so expensive.)
• Ellos habrían vivido más tranquilos en una casa más pequeña. (They would have lived more peacefully in a smaller house.)

Irregular verbs

In the conditional perfect, there are some verbs that have irregular participles, meaning they do not follow the common endings of -ado or -ido. These verbs are very common, and it is important to memorize them to avoid making mistakes.

Hacer (to do/make): Yo habría hecho, tú habrías hecho, él/ella habría hecho, nosotros/as habríamos hecho, vosotros/as habríais hecho, ellos/as habrían hecho. (I would have done, you (informal singular) would have done, he/she would have done, we would have done, you (plural) would have done, they would have done.) Examples:

• Yo habría hecho la tarea si no me hubiera quedado dormido. (I would have done the homework if I had not fallen asleep.)
• Tú habrías hecho un buen proyecto. (You would have done a good project.)
• Ella habría hecho su reporte por la mañana. (She would have done her report in the morning.)
• Nosotros habríamos hecho todo lo posible por ayudarte. (We would have done everything possible to help you.)
• Ellos habrían hecho algo ayer si no tuvieran que trabajar. (They would have done something yesterday if they hadn’t had to work.)

Decir (say): Yo habría dicho, tú habrías dicho, él/ella habría dicho, nosotros/as habríamos dicho, vosotros/as habríais dicho, ellos/as habrían dicho. (I would have said, you (informal singular) would have said, he/she would have said, we would have said, you (plural) would have said, they would have said.) Examples:

• Yo habría dicho algo un poco más cortés. (I would have said something a little more polite.)
• Tú habrías dicho que lo harías más grande. (You would have said that you would make it bigger.)
• Él habría dicho que no le gusta el color. (He would have said that he does not like the color.)
• Nosotros habríamos dicho que sí al viaje. (We would have said yes to the trip.)
• Ellos habrían dicho algo importante en la junta. (They would have said something important at the meeting.)

Escribir (to write): Yo habría escrito, tú habrías escrito, él/ella habría escrito, nosotros/as habríamos escrito, vosotros/as habríais escrito, ellos/as habrían escrito. (I would have written, you (informal singular) would have written, he/she would have written, we would have written, you (plural) would have written, they would have written.) Examples:

• Yo habría escrito el recado si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would have written the note if I had had time.)
• Tú habrías escrito el ensayo más rápido. (You would have written the essay faster.)
• Él habría escrito más detalles en su informe. (He would have written more details in his report.)
• Nosotros habríamos escrito el guion juntos. (We would have written the script together.)
• Ellos habrían escrito una novela si hubieran organizado sus ideas. (They would have written a novel if they had organized their ideas.)

Abrir (to open): Yo habría abierto, tú habrías abierto, él/ella habría abierto, nosotros/as habríamos abierto, vosotros/as habríais abierto, ellos/as habrían abierto. (I would have opened, you would have opened, he/she would have opened, we would have opened, you all would have opened, they would have opened.) Examples:

• Yo habría abierto la tienda más temprano. (I would have opened the store earlier.)
• Tú habrías abierto tu corazón para perdonarla. (You would have opened your heart to forgive her.)
• Él habría abierto la ventana para ver el amanecer. (He would have opened the window to see the sunrise.)
• Nosotros habríamos abierto la puerta a los invitados. (We would have opened the door for the guests.)
• Ellos habrían abierto el concierto con otra canción. (They would have opened the concert with another song.)

Ver (to see): Yo habría visto, tú habrías visto, él/ella habría visto, nosotros/as habríamos visto, vosotros/as habríais visto, ellos/as habrían visto. (I would have seen, you would have seen, he/she would have seen, we would have seen, you all would have seen, they would have seen.) Examples:

• Yo habría visto esa película si no hubiera estado ocupado. (I would have seen that movie if I had not been busy.)
• Tú habrías visto a tus amigos si hubieras llegado temprano. (You would have seen your friends if you had arrived early.)
• Ella habría visto el atardecer si no hubiera llovido. (She would have seen the sunset if it had not rained.)
• Nosotros habríamos visto la exposición antes de que cerrara. (We would have seen the exhibition before it closed.)
• Ellos habrían visto al profesor en la cafetería. (They would have seen the teacher in the cafeteria.)

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Conditional Perfect of Indicative and Subjunctive

The conditional perfect of indicative is the most common use you will find in daily life. With the indicative, we can express past hypotheses, consequences that did not happen, and assumptions about the past. Examples of the conditional perfect of indicative:

• Yo habría terminado el proyecto de forma más eficiente. (I would have completed the project more efficiently.)
• Ellos habrían llegado antes de no ser por el tráfico. (They would have arrived earlier if it had not been for the traffic.)
• Tú habrías aprobado si hubieras estudiado más. (You would have passed if you had studied more.)
• Nosotros habríamos salido si no estuviera lloviendo. (We would have gone out if it were not raining.)
• Ella habría dicho algo, pero no tuvo la oportunidad. (She would have said something, but she did not have the opportunity.)

The conditional perfect of subjunctive is rarer and is mainly used in more formal or literary contexts; it appears in unreal conditional phrases. Examples of the conditional perfect of subjunctive:

• Si fuere necesario, yo ayudaría inmediatamente. (If it were necessary, I would help immediately.)
• Si se supiere la verdad, ellos cambiarían de opinión. (If the truth were known, they would change their minds.)
• Si algo ocurriese, lo resolveríamos juntos. (If something were to happen, we would resolve it together.)
• Si fuere posible, viajaría contigo. (If it were possible, I would travel with you.)
• Cuando llegase el momento, ellos estarían ahí. (When the time comes, they would be there.)

Common mistakes with the conditional perfect and how to avoid them

The conditional perfect may seem easy to use, but there are some common mistakes that it is important to know to avoid them:

Confusing it with the simple conditional

Remember that we use the simple conditional to express our hypotheses or possibilities in the present, while the conditional perfect serves to talk about hypothetical situations and assumptions about facts that have already happened. Example:

• Incorrect: Yo terminaría el proyecto si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would finish the project if I had had time.)
• Correct: Yo habría terminado el proyecto si hubiera tenido tiempo. (I would have finished the project if I had had time.)

Using the regular participle in irregular verbs

As we saw before, it is important to learn the correct conjugation of the irregular verbs we will use in the conditional perfect. Example:

• Incorrect: Ella habría escribido una carta.
• Correct: Ella habría escrito una carta. (She would have written a letter.)

Forgetting the verb “haber”

It is important to remember that the conditional perfect always needs the verb “haber” in its conjugation to be correct. Example:

• Incorrect: Yo hecho la tarea si no me hubiera quedado dormido. (I do the homework if I had not fallen asleep.)
• Correct: Yo habría hecho la tarea si no me hubiera quedado dormido. (I would have done the homework if I had not fallen asleep.)

Confusing it with the perfect preterite

We use the perfect preterite to talk about facts that have already occurred, while the conditional perfect serves to express our hypotheses.

• Incorrect: Yo he hecho eso si hubiera estado ahí. (I have done that if I had been there.)
• Correct: Yo habría hecho eso si hubiera estado ahí. (I would have done that if I had been there.)

Summary

The conditional perfect is a very useful verb tense for expressing our hypotheses, assumptions, and consequences that did not occur in the past.

Practicing its formation and use, along with irregular participles through the Promova app, will allow you to master it quickly.

Keep practicing, and you will see how you improve in no time!