{"id":2299,"date":"2011-01-25T21:38:54","date_gmt":"2011-01-25T21:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=2299"},"modified":"2011-01-25T21:38:54","modified_gmt":"2011-01-25T21:38:54","slug":"the-conditional-tense-in-spanish-i-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/the-conditional-tense-in-spanish-i-form\/","title":{"rendered":"The conditional tense in Spanish I: Form"},"content":{"rendered":"

The conditional tense I:\u00a0 Form. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The conditional tense is one of the most complicated tenses in Spanish. It does not only refer to a concrete moment in time (past, present or future), but it is used to express probability, possibility, wonder or conjecture. It is very connected to the future tense, that\u00b4s why we call it both condicional<\/em> and futuro hipot\u00e9tico <\/em>(hypothetical future).<\/p>\n

Let\u00b4s take a look on \u00a0how to form it. We use the same stem as for some other tenses, the infinitive, and the same endings as for the imperfect of -er<\/strong> and -ir<\/strong> verbs (-\u00eda, -\u00edas, -\u00eda, -\u00edamos, -\u00edais, -\u00edan<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cantar <\/strong>(to sing): Cantar\u00eda<\/strong> contigo si supiese la canci\u00f3n<\/em>. (I would sing with you if I knew the song.)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Beber (<\/strong>to drink)<\/strong>: \u00bfBeber\u00edas<\/strong> conmigo un vaso de vino?<\/em> (Would you drink a glass of wine with me?)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vivir (<\/strong>to live)<\/strong>: Vivir\u00edamos en Par\u00eds si pudi\u00e9semos<\/em>. (We would live in Paris if we could.)<\/p>\n

The most common verbs that are irregular in the future tense are also irregular in the conditional tense. Their endings are regular, but their stems change in the same way they change in the future tense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
decir<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\nto say<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\ndir-<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\ndir\u00eda, dir\u00edas, dir\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
haber<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nthere to be<\/em> [impersonal];
\nto have <\/em>[helping verb]<\/td>\n		habr-<\/strong><\/td>\nhabr\u00eda, habr\u00edas, habr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
hacer<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto make, do<\/em><\/td>\nhar-<\/strong><\/td>\nhar\u00eda, har\u00edas, har\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
poder<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto be able<\/em><\/td>\npodr-<\/strong><\/td>\npodr\u00eda, podr\u00edas, podr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
poner<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto put, place, set<\/em><\/td>\npondr-<\/strong><\/td>\npondr\u00eda,\u00a0pondr\u00edas,\u00a0pondr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
querer<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto want, love<\/em><\/td>\nquerr-<\/strong><\/td>\nquerr\u00eda, querr\u00edas, querr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
saber<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto know <\/em>[a fact]<\/td>\nsabr-<\/strong><\/td>\nsabr\u00eda, sabr\u00edas, sabr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
salir<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto leave, go out<\/em><\/td>\nsaldr-<\/strong><\/td>\nsaldr\u00eda, saldr\u00edas, saldr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
tener<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto have<\/em><\/td>\ntendr-<\/strong><\/td>\ntendr\u00eda, tendr\u00edas, tendr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
valer<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto be worth<\/em><\/td>\nvaldr-<\/strong><\/td>\nvaldr\u00eda, valdr\u00edas, valdr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
venir<\/span><\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nto come<\/em><\/td>\nvendr-<\/strong><\/td>\nvendr\u00eda, vendr\u00edas, vendr\u00eda,\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The conditional perfect is formed by using the conditional forms of the helping verb haber<\/em><\/strong> with the past (or passive) participle:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 S\u00ed, yo habr\u00eda ido<\/strong> a la fiesta.<\/em> (Yes, I would have gone to the party.)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Le habr\u00edan dicho<\/strong> algo si la hubieran visto<\/em>. (They would have told her something, if they had seen her.)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Si nosotros hubi\u00e9semos estado all\u00ed, le habr\u00edamos ayudado. <\/em><\/strong>(We would have helped him if we had been there.)<\/p>\n

Second part about conditional tense soon!<\/p>\n