Spanish grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The conditional and if-clauses: haría, si tuviera
How to form the Spanish conditional, how to use it for wishes, advice and polite requests, and how to build sentences with si.
Forms
The “conditional” means “would”. Take the whole infinitive and add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. The endings are the same for all verbs, and every form has a written accent on the í.
Verbs with an irregular future stem use the same stem: → , → , → , → , → , → , → , → , → .
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Wishes, advice and polite requests
Use the conditional to say what you would like (, ), to give advice (…, …) and to make requests softer (¿Podría…?, ¿Te importaría…?, ¿Sería posible…?).
- Me gustaría aprender a pintar.I'd like to learn to paint.
- Yo en tu lugar iría en tren.If I were you, I'd go by train.
- ¿Te importaría cerrar la ventana?Would you mind closing the window?
- ¿Sería posible hacer una transferencia?Would it be possible to make a transfer?
Real conditions: si + present
When something is possible or likely, use + the present, and the present, the future or the imperative in the other half. Never use the future or the present subjunctive straight after .
- Si llueve, no iremos a la playa.If it rains, we won't go to the beach.
- Si quiere, le dejo una cafetera.If you like, I'll lend you a coffee machine.
- Si tienes tiempo, llámame.If you have time, call me.
Unreal conditions: si tuviera…, iría…
For situations that aren't real now, or are unlikely, use + the “imperfect subjunctive” + the conditional. To form the imperfect subjunctive, take the form of the preterite, drop -ron and add -ra: → , → , → , → .
Compare (I may well have some holiday) with (I don't have any holiday).
- Si tuviera vacaciones, iría mañana mismo.If I had some holiday, I'd go tomorrow.
- Si pudiera, volvería ahora mismo.If I could, I'd go back right now.
- Si yo fuera tú, hablaría con ella.If I were you, I'd talk to her.