Conditional Helper
The conditional explained: what it means, when to use it, and the full table for any verb — plus the if-clause patterns it appears in.
When to use the conditional
| Use | Pattern | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical results | Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. | Si + imperfect subjunctive, then conditional: the classic if-sentence. |
| Polite requests | ¿Podría ayudarme? | The conditional softens a request — more polite than the present. |
| Advice and suggestions | Deberías estudiar más. | Debería / tendría que + infinitive is how Spanish gives advice. |
| Reported future in the past | Dijo que vendría. | What was 'will come' at the time becomes 'would come' when reported. |
| Probability in the past | Serían las diez. | The conditional can guess at a past time, like the future guesses at the present. |
Formation: the conditional uses the infinitive as its stem (the same stems as the future, including the irregular ones) plus the imperfect endings. One set of endings for all three verb groups.
Try next: Preterite vs Imperfect · Tense Comparison · Verb Tense Timeline
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