How to Use the Conditional Tense

Creating the conditional tense in Spanish is easy! Just follow these straightforward steps.

Regular Verbs

1. Start with the basic form: For example, hablar (to speak) or comer (to eat).
2. Add the endings for the conditional tense:
   • -ía (for I)
   • -ías (for you)
   • -ía (for he/she/you formal)
   • -íamos (for we)
   • -ían (for they/you all)

Examples:

• For "hablar": yo hablaría means "I would speak."
• For "comer": tú comerías means "you would eat."

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs change a bit, but we still use the same endings.

Examples:

• "Tener" changes to "tendr-" → él tendría means "he would have."
• "Hacer" changes to "har-" → nosotros haríamos means "we would do."

Tips

You can use the conditional tense to talk about things that might happen or to make polite requests. For example:

• Yo comería más si tuviera tiempo means "I would eat more if I had time."
• ¿Podrías ayudarme? means "Could you help me?"