Simple Conditional in Spanish

The simple conditional is a verb tense that we use in Spanish to express our wishes, hypotheses, courtesy, or situations that could occur under certain conditions. This tense is very useful for everyday communication, and learning it will allow you to talk about possibilities or imaginary situations more naturally.

In this article, you will learn what the simple conditional is, how it is formed, its different uses in the indicative and subjunctive moods, and how to avoid common mistakes. Let’s get started!

What is the Simple Conditional in Spanish?

The simple conditional is used to express hypothetical or imaginary situations, as well as wishes, suggestions, and to express ourselves politely when making requests. It could be said that this verb tense is equivalent to using the word “would” in English. Examples of sentences in the simple conditional:

• 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 it were offered to us.) (conditional situation)
• Ellos dirían algo si estuvieran aquí. (They would say something if they were here.) (hypothesis)

Structure of the Simple Conditional

Examples with Regular Verbs:

-ar Verbs:

Example with the verb hablar (speak): hablaría, hablarías, hablaría, hablaríamos, hablaríais, hablarían. (I would speak, you would speak, he/she would speak, we would speak, you all would speak, they would speak.)

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

• Yo hablaría con el profesor mañana. (I would talk with the teacher tomorrow.)
• Tú hablarías con tus amigos el fin de semana. (You would talk with your friends on the weekend.)
• Ella hablaría sobre el tema en la reunión. (She would talk about the topic in the meeting.)
• Nosotros hablaríamos de nuestros planes. (We would talk about our plans.)
• Ellos hablarían con sus padres más tarde. (They would talk with their parents later.)

-er Verbs:

Example with the verb comer (eat): comería, comerías, comería, comeríamos, comeríais, comerían. (I would eat, you would eat, he/she would eat, we would eat, you all would eat, they would eat.)

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

• Yo comería pizza todos los días si pudiera. (I would eat pizza every day if I could.)
• Tú comerías más si no estuvieras lleno. (You would eat more if you weren’t full.)
• Ella comería ensalada en lugar de pasta. (She would eat salad instead of pasta.)
• Nosotros comeríamos juntos si tuviéramos tiempo. (We would eat together if we had time.)
• Ellos comerían en casa esta noche. (They would eat at home tonight.)

-ir Verbs:

Example with the verb vivir (live): viviría, vivirías, viviría, viviríamos, viviríais, vivirían. (I would live, you would live, he/she would live, we would live, you all would live, they would live.)

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

• Yo viviría en la playa si fuera posible. (I would live on the beach if it were possible.)
• Tú vivirías en el campo si pudieras. (You would live in the countryside if you could.)
• Él viviría en España si consiguiera trabajo. (He would live in Spain if he got a job.)
• Nosotros viviríamos más tranquilos en el campo. (We would live more peacefully in the countryside.)
• Ellos vivirían cerca de sus amigos. (They would live near their friends.)

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs change their root in the simple conditional. Although the endings remain the same, it is important to memorize these changes to ensure our sentences are correct.

Tener (Have): tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían. (I would have, you would have, he/she would have, we would have, you all would have, they would have.) Examples:

• Yo tendría más tiempo si no tuviera este proyecto. (I would have more time if I didn’t have this project.)
• Tú tendrías éxito si te esforzaras en el trabajo. (You would be successful if you worked hard.)
• Él tendría oportunidad si aplicara al empleo. (He would have a chance if he applied for the job.)
• Nosotros tendríamos todo listo en la mañana. (We would have everything ready in the morning.)
• Ellos tendrían que hacerlo tarde o temprano. (They would have to do it sooner or later.)

Hacer (to do/make): haría, harías, haría, haríamos, haríais, harían. (I would do/make, you would do/make, he/she would do/make, we would do/make, you all would do/make, they would do/make.) Examples:

• Yo haría la tarea si hubiera entendido la lección. (I would do the homework if I had understood the lesson.)
• Tú harías un gran trabajo como maestro. (You would do a great job as a teacher.)
• Ella haría más ejercicio si tuviera tiempo. (She would exercise more if she had time.)
• Nosotros haríamos todo lo posible por ayudar. (We would do everything possible to help.)
• Ellos harían el trabajo sin problemas. (They would do the work without problems.)

Decir (say): diría, dirías, diría, diríamos, diríais, dirían. (I would say, you would say, he/she would say, we would say, you all would say, they would say.) Examples:

• Yo diría que sí. (I would say yes.)
• Tú dirías que está lejos. (You would say it is far.)
• Él diría lo contrario. (He would say the opposite.)
• Nosotros diríamos más. (We would say more.)
• Ellos dirían lo que piensan. (They would say what they think.)

Poder (be able to/can): podría, podrías, podría, podríamos, podríais, podrían. (I could, you could, he/she could, we could, you all could, they could.) Examples:

• Yo podría viajar el próximo año si ahorro. (I could travel next year if I save.)
• Tú podrías ganar el concurso. (You could win the contest.)
• Ella podría estudiar en Francia. (She could study in France.)
• Nosotros podríamos salir más temprano. (We could leave earlier.)
• Ellos podrían salir a correr juntos. (They could go out running together.)

Salir (go out): saldría, saldrías, saldría, saldríamos, saldríais, saldrían. (I would go out, you would go out, he/she would go out, we would go out, you all would go out, they would go out.) Examples:

• Yo saldría esta noche si no trabajara mañana. (I would go out tonight if I didn’t work tomorrow.)
• Tú saldrías con tus amigos si pudieras. (You would go out with your friends if you could.)
• Él saldría de viaje mañana. (He would go on a trip tomorrow.)
• Nosotros saldríamos juntos. (We would go out together.)
• Ellos saldrían a jugar golf. (They would go out to play golf.)

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Simple Conditional of Indicative and Subjunctive

The indicative is the most common use we give to the simple conditional. With the indicative, we can express wishes, hypotheses, suggestions, and courtesy. Examples of the simple conditional in the indicative:

• Yo viajaría a Europa si tuviera más días de vacaciones. (I would travel to Europe if I had more days off.)
• ¿Me podría mostrar el menú, por favor? (Could you show me the menu, please?)
• Él aceptaría la propuesta, sin dudas. (He would accept the proposal, no doubt.)
• Podríamos dar vuelta en la calle del parque y ahorrar tiempo. (We could turn on the street by the park and save time.)
• Ellos serían felices viviendo en el campo. (They would be happy living in the countryside.)

Although it is much less common, the simple conditional of the subjunctive can appear in formal or literary texts. It is used to express hypothetical conditions in more elevated contexts. Examples of the simple conditional in the 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 solve 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 came, they would be there.)

Common Mistakes with the Simple Conditional and How to Avoid Them

Here are some common mistakes that beginner students often make when using the simple conditional in Spanish, along with tips to help you avoid them:

Confusing the Simple Conditional with the Simple Future

Remember that the simple conditional is used to express our hypotheses or possibilities, while the simple future is used to talk about facts that are more likely to happen.

• Incorrect: Yo diré la verdad si tuviera la oportunidad. (I will tell the truth if I had the opportunity.)
• Correct: Yo diría la verdad si tuviera la oportunidad. (I would tell the truth if I had the opportunity.)

Using the Present Instead of the Conditional

The conditional is ideal for expressing wishes, assumptions, or unfulfilled intentions; the present is used for expressing concrete facts.

• Incorrect: Ella quiere ir, pero no tiene tiempo. (She wants to go, but she doesn’t have time.) (fact)
• Correct: Ella querría ir, pero no tiene tiempo. (She would like to go, but she doesn’t have time.) (possibility)

Forgetting the Irregular Root of Some Verbs

As we reviewed earlier, it is important to memorize the conjugation of the irregular verbs that we will use in our conditional sentence to do it properly.

• Incorrect: Yo teniería más tiempo si no trabajara tanto. (I would have more time if I didn’t work so much.)
• Correct: Yo tendría más tiempo si no trabajara tanto. (I would have more time if I didn’t work so much.)

Using the Wrong Endings

Remember that the endings of the simple conditional are not the same as those of the simple future. Pay attention when forming your sentences to use the correct conjugation.

• Incorrect: Nosotros hablarán con ellos mañana. 
• Correct: Nosotros hablaremos con ellos mañana. (We will talk to them tomorrow.)

Using the Conditional Without Appropriate Context

When using the simple conditional, it is important to always include a clear context, whether of hypothesis, possibility, or desire.

• Incorrect: Ella saldría, pero no sé por qué. (She would go out, but I don’t know why.)
• Correct: Ella saldría si tuviera una razón para hacerlo. (She would go out if she had a reason to do so.)

Practicing these details will help improve your use of the simple conditional in Spanish.

Summary

The simple conditional is a verb tense that is quite useful for expressing wishes, hypotheses, courtesy, and also imaginary situations in Spanish.

With some practice through the Promova app and paying attention to the common mistakes we shared earlier, you will be able to master it easily and use it confidently in your daily conversations.

Keep practicing, and you will see how you improve every day!