The Conditional Would Be Right

More of This Feature • Part 1: Introduction to the Conditionaql • Part 2: Other Uses of the Conditional     Related Resources • Grammar • Verbs • The Future Tense

Conjugation of the conditional tense is fairly straightforward, because all three types of verbs (-ar, -er and -ir) use the same ending, and the ending is applied to the infinitive rather than a portion of the verb. Also, there are fewer irregular verbs in the conditional.

Here are the endings, using vivir (to live) as an example:

You may notice that the endings attached to the infinitives are the same as the endings of haber verbs in the imperfect, just as the endings attached to infinitives to make the future tense are the same as the endings of haber in the present tense.

And there's another similarity with the future tense: Some verbs are irregular in the present tense in that the ending is attached to a stem rather than the infinitive. The same verbs that are irregular in the future tense are irregular in the conditional, and in the same way. So just as the first-person future of tener is tendré instead of teneré, the first-person conditional of tener is tendría instead of tenería. The same pattern is followed for the other persons, with this being the full conjugation of tener in the conditional: tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían.

Here are the most common verbs that are irregular in the conditional:

caber (to fit): cabría, cabrías ...
decir (to say): diría, dirías ...
haber (to have): habría, habrías ...
hacer (to do or make): haría, harías ...
poder (to be able): podría, podrías ...
poner (to put): pondría, pondrías ...
querer (to want): querría, querrías ...
saber (to know): sabría, sabrías ...
salir (to leave): saldría, saldrías ...
valer (to be worth): valdría, valdrías ...
venir (to come): vendría, vendrías ...

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