Learn Spanish Grammar

Spanish Pronunciation
Spanish Gender and Articles
Spanish Subject Pronouns
Spanish Verb Ser
Spanish Plural Nouns and Adjectives
Calendar in Spanish
Spanish Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
Spanish Prepositions
Telling Time in Spanish
Spanish Verb Hay
Spanish Verbs Present Tense
Spanish Verb Ir
Spanish Verb Tener
Spanish Verb Estar
Ser vs. Estar

Spanish Possessive Adjectives
Spanish Possessive Pronouns
Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs
Spanish Prepositions Por vs. Para
Spanish Demonstratives
Spanish Direct Object Pronouns
Spanish Indirect Object Pronoun
Direct + Indirect Object Pronouns
Spanish Verb Gustar
Weather in Spanish
Spanish Reflexive Verbs (coming soon)
Spanish Verb Acabar
Spanish Verb Volver
Spanish Past Tense - Pretérito
Spanish Informal Commands
Spanish Plural Familiar Commands
Spanish Nosotros Commands (coming soon)

Spanish Past Tense - Imperfecto
Preterit vs. Imperfect
Spanish Past Participles
Spanish Present Perfect Tense
Spanish Past Perfect Tense
Spanish Formal Commands
Spanish Subjunctive Mood
Spanish Future Tense
Spanish Conditional Tense

Conjugating Spanish Verbs in the Conditional Tense

Learn Spanish: Spanish Conditional Tense

In this learn Spanish grammar lesson, we review the Spanish conditional tense and how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the conditional. The conditional tense is used express future uncertainty, different than the future tense which describes furture certainty (I will ...). In English, the conditional tense is translated as "would + verb," such as, for example, I would buy a ticket, or, They would go to the store. Generally when using the conditional tense, there will be an "if" or a "but," or another reason why the action would or would not be completed. For example:

I would buy a ticket if they were cheaper.
They would go to the store, but it's raining right now.
He wouldn't call her because she yelled at him.

Conjugating Spanish verbs in the Conditional Tense

Just like for Spanish verb conjugations in the future tense, when conjugating Spanish verbs in the conditional tense, you will take the infinitive of the verb and add the appropriate ending. The endings for Spanish verbs in the conditional are:

-ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, and ían.

Let's look at a few examples in Spanish:

Yo iría al cine, pero no tengo suficiente dinero.
I would go to the movies, but I don't have enough money.

Ellas no comprarían ese auto.
They wouldn't buy that car.

Conjugating Irregular Spanish Verbs in the Conditional Tense

Just as you learned with conjugating irregular Spanish verbs in the future tense, there are irregular Spanish verbs that are formed with a specific stem in the conditional tense. It is the same stem used with the Spanish future tense.

Qué harías esta tarde?
What would you do this afternoon?

Saldría con mis amigos.
I would go out with my friends.

Hay in the Conditional Tense

Hay means there is or there are; this is the present tense. In the Spanish conditional tense, hay becomes habriá, which means there would be.

Habría más personas a la fiesta ....
There would be more people at the party ....