The Conditional Tense / Conditional Probability INTRODUCTION The conditional tense is used to refer to what would happen if a certain condition were met. EXPLANATION The conditional tense is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive form of -ar, -er and -ir verbs: -ía -ías -ía

-íamos -íais -ían

The same endings are used for -ar, -er and -ir verbs. Notice that these endings are added to the infinitive form of the verb, NOT the verb stem. hablaría hablarías

I would speak you would speak

hablaríamos hablaríais

hablaría

he/she/you [formal] would speak

hablarían

we would speak you guys would speak [informal, Spain] they/you all [formal] would speak

Irregular Forms There are 12 verbs that have irregular stems in the conditional tense. They are the same verbs that are irregular in the future tense. Here is a list of the irregular verbs and their irregular stems, along with the yo form of each for reference. Infinitive caber haber poder querer saber poner

Conditional Stem Yo form cabrcabría habrhabría podrpodría querrquerría sabrsabría pondrpondría

Infinitive salir tener valer venir decir hacer

Conditional Stem Yo form saldrsaldría tendrtendría valdrvaldría vendrvendría dirdiría harharía

Other Uses of the Conditional Tense Sometimes the conditional is used to make polite requests. ¿Irías conmigo? Would you go with me? ¿Me traerías una almohada nueva por favor? Would you bring me a new pillow please? ¿La cantarías otra vez? Would you sing it again? Like the future tense, the conditional tense is also used to express probability, but in reference to the past. © 2013 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages.

The Conditional Tense / Conditional Probability Ellos se divorciaron hace 10 años. ¿Qué habría pasado?

They got divorced 10 years ago. What could have happened?

The conditional tense has a connection to the past tense such as in these examples. El guía dijo que nos mostraría las ruinas. Ellos siempre pensaban que se casarían.

The guide told us that he would show us the ruins. They always thought that they would get married.

EXAMPLES Yo hablaría francés pero no lo sé. Ella comería verduras pero no le gustan. ¿Vivirías en México? Iría de viaje pero no tengo el dinero. No importaría mucho. Ayer me prometiste que me ayudarías.

I would speak French but I don't know it. She would eat vegetables but she doesn't like them. Would you live in Mexico? I would go on a trip but I don't have the money. It wouldn't matter much. Yesterday you promised me that you would help me.

PRACTICE To see how comfortable you feel with conditional tense conjugation, let's practice. Fill in the blank in each sentence with the correct conditional tense form of the verb in parenthesis. You will have about one minute to come up with the correct answers and then we'll check them together. Mis papás me prometieron que mis abuelos ______ (venir). Ella me dijo que ______ (tener) una fiesta para celebrar. ¿ ______ (poder) tú ayudarme? Te ______ (ayudar) nosotros, pero nos tenemos que ir. Yo ______ (preferir) ver la otra película. Let's check your answers now! vendrían tendría Podrías ayudaríamos preferiría ¡Bien hecho! To help you out in the future, click on the blue box labeled "Guión" and you'll be able to print this document. The Conditional Tense / Conditional Probability

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