3.5.1 conditional
In English you'll find the conditional in many different situations. The first and most regulated standard you'll find in the conditional clauses.
If I had money, I would buy a big car, a house and a yacht.
If you were nicer, she would marry you right away.
If he were still with us, the world would be a better place.
If you were nicer, she would marry you right away.
If he were still with us, the world would be a better place.
Furthermore, we use the conditional usually to be polite to express something a bit vaguer.
A: Would you like to go to dinner with me?
B: Oh, I really would love to but I already have eaten.
B: Oh, I really would love to but I already have eaten.
A: Would you mind and tell me what you did yesterday?
B: Yes, of course I would mind!
B: Yes, of course I would mind!
A: I would like to have a coffee, please.
B: Here you are, would you care for some sugar and milk?
B: Here you are, would you care for some sugar and milk?
Enough of examples! You see the conditional in English is with us all the time. Moreover, it is quite easy to form:
Just take the simple past of a modal verb to will => would (is the most common), but there are possibilities to form conditionals with to can => could, to may => might, to shall => should and the verb. The English conditional can be formed in present tense and in past tense.
Just take the simple past of a modal verb to will => would (is the most common), but there are possibilities to form conditionals with to can => could, to may => might, to shall => should and the verb. The English conditional can be formed in present tense and in past tense.
conditional in English
| conditional present | conditional perfect | |
| to will | he would be perfect | he would have been perfect |
| to can | she could be beautiful | she should have been beautiful |
| to shall | it should work out | it should have worked out |
| to may | you might have success | you might have had success |
| to ought to* | he ought to work more | he ought to have worked more |
Anyway, the condicional in Spanish is used mostly in conditional clauses. There are three different one of those.
1. Realis = close to reality
If he has money he buys a car.
= Si tiene dinero, se compra un coche.
explanation: It is quite likely that he will have money some day and then it is sure he will buy a car.
= Si tiene dinero, se compra un coche.
explanation: It is quite likely that he will have money some day and then it is sure he will buy a car.
2. Irrealis of the present = unreality in present tense
If he had money he would buy a car.
= Si tuviera dinero, se compraría un coche.
explanation: It's actually quite unlikely that he will have money (there might be a small chance), but if he had then he would buy a car!
= Si tuviera dinero, se compraría un coche.
explanation: It's actually quite unlikely that he will have money (there might be a small chance), but if he had then he would buy a car!
3. Irrealis of the past = unreality in past tense
If he had had money, he would have bought a car.
= Si hubiera tenido dinero, se habría comprado un coche.
explanation: We definitely know that he didn't have money and he didn't buy the car.
= Si hubiera tenido dinero, se habría comprado un coche.
explanation: We definitely know that he didn't have money and he didn't buy the car.
3.5.2 Formation of the conditional
As in English the Spanish condicional is available in two different tenses, the condicional presente and condicional perfecto.
The formation is quite easy. The ending of the condicional is appended to the infinitive verb. The endings are equal for all three verb types (ending on -ar, -er or -ir). Some - very few - are irregular meaning that the stem changes.
Formation of condicional presente
| personal pronoun | infinitive | + ending | = condicional |
| yo | comer | -ía | comería |
| tú | comer | -ías | comerías |
| él | comer | -ía | comería |
| nosotros | comer | -íamos | comeríamos |
| vosotros | comer | -íais | comeríais |
| ellos | comer | -ían | comerían |
| personal pronoun | infinitive | + ending | = condicional |
| yo | recibir | -ía | recibiría |
| tú | recibir | -ías | recibirías |
| él | recibir | -ía | recibiría |
| nosotros | recibir | -íamos | recibiríamos |
| vosotros | recibir | -íais | recibiríais |
| ellos | recibir | -ían | recibirían |
| personal pronoun | infinitive | + ending | = condicional |
| yo | tomar | -ía | tomaría |
| tú | tomar | -ías | tomarías |
| él | tomar | -ía | tomaría |
| nosotros | tomar | -íamos | tomaríamos |
| vosotros | tomar | -íais | tomaríais |
| ellos | tomar | -ían | tomarían |
The condicional perfecto if formed with the condicional of the modal verb haber (which is unfortunately irregular) and the perfect participle (the one we already use for perfecto and plusquamperfecto)
Formation of condicional perfecto
| pronoun | condicional form of haber | + perfect participle | = condicional perfecto |
| yo | habría | comido, recibido, tomado | habría tomado |
| tú | habrías | comido, recibido, tomado | habrías tomado |
| él | habría | comido, recibido, tomado | habría tomado |
| nosotros | habríamos | comido, recibido, tomado | habríamos tomado |
| vosotros | habríais | comido, recibido, tomado | habríais tomado |
| ellos | habrían | comido, recibido, tomado | habrían tomado |
Yo tomaría = I would take
Yo habría tomado = I would have taken
Yo comería = I would eat
Yo habría comido = I would have eaten
Tú leerías = you would read
Tú habrías leído = you would have read
Nosotros comeríamos = we would read
Vosotros habríais comido = you would have eaten
Yo habría tomado = I would have taken
Yo comería = I would eat
Yo habría comido = I would have eaten
Tú leerías = you would read
Tú habrías leído = you would have read
Nosotros comeríamos = we would read
Vosotros habríais comido = you would have eaten
3.5.3 Conditional clauses
Conditional clauses express that something happen, if a certain condition is realised. By using the right mode of conditional clause you can make very clear how probably you think this realisation of the condition is. Actually, you'll find that they can be transferred 1:1 from English conditional clauses.