4.02 ¿Qué podría pasar?
Read the information, charts and links below to learn about the conditional tense.
Verb Endings
The conditional tense is used, in English, as would + infinitive. All the -ar, -er, and -ir regular verbs use the same set of endings with an accent mark on the letter í.. Here are the endings.
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-ar / -er / -ir
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Yo
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-ía |
Nosotros
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-íamos |
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Tú
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-ías |
Vosotros
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-íais |
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Él / Ella / Ud
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-ía |
Ellos(as) / Uds
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-ían |
Forming the verb
Just like the Future Simple tense, the conditional tense endings are attached to the complete infinitive to conjugate the verb. Let's see how it goes.
Irregular Verbs
The conditional, also, has the same twelve irregular verbs that the future tense has. The categories are the same, the only thing that changes, of course, is the endings. You will use the endings given in the previous tabs to conjugate the irregular verbs in the conditional tense. Do not forget to attach the endings to the new stems, just like you did in the future tense. Here they are again, to remind you.
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decir →
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dir-
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hacer →
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har-
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haber
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poder
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querer
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saber
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caber
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habr-
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podr-
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querr-
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sabr-
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cabr-
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poner
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salir
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tener
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venir
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valer
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pondr-
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saldr
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tendr-
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vendr-
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valdr-
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Uses
Do you remember learning how to order something politely in a restaurant with the expression Me gustaría ... ? The conditional tense actually has several different uses. Let's explore these:
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To make a polite request
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¿Me ayudaría usted a escapar de este lugar?
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Would you help me escape this place?
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To express what you would do in a certain situation
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¿Qué harías los sábados, dormir o ir de compras?
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What would you do on Saturdays, sleep or go shopping?
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To express predictions about the past
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El mes pasado, los emigrantes saldrían a las 3 de la tarde.
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Last month, the immigrants must have left at 3 pm.
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To express predictions about the future from a past perspective
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Ellos se imaginaron que la protesta sería muy larga y aburrida.
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They imagined that the protest would be long and boring.
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To express hypothetical situations
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Estaría seguro de visitar las oficinas gubernamentales.
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I would be sure to visit the government offices.
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To express what would happen if it wasn’t for the situation
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Nosotros compraríamos una casa grande pero no tenemos un trabajo fijo.
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We would buy a big house but we don't have a steady job.
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