Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn about the Spanish simple conditional tense ('condicional simple') used to express wishes, hypotheses, and polite recommendations. This lesson explains its formation with infinitive + endings like '-ía' and provides practical examples such as 'Yo alquilaría un piso pequeño.' Understand the grammatical structure and see common uses in everyday Spanish related to renting or buying houses.
  1. It is formed with the infinitive + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Persona (Person)Forma (Form)Ejemplo (Example)
YoAlquilaría (I would rent)Yo alquilaría un piso pequeño.
Alquilarías (You would rent)¿Tú alquilarías una casa?
Él / ellaAlquilaría (I would rent)Ella alquilaría con sus amigos.
Nosotros/asAlquilaríamos (We would rent)Nosotros alquilaríamos un ático.
Vosotros/asAlquilaríais (You (plural) would rent)¿Vosotros alquilaríais este apartamento?
Ellos/asAlquilarían (They would rent)Ellos alquilarían una casa en campo.

Exercise 1: El condicional simple

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

compraría, elegirían, reformarían, vivirían, buscaría, buscaríamos, firmaríamos, buscarías

1. Buscar:
: Yo ... un piso cerca del centro.
(I would look for a flat near the centre.)
2. Comprar:
: Yo ... un anuncio en el periódico.
(I would buy an advert in the newspaper.)
3. Elegir:
: Ellas ... una residencia temporal.
(They would choose a temporary residence.)
4.
Firmar : Nosotros ... el contrato esta semana.
(Sign: We would sign the contract this week.)
5. Vivir:
: Ellos ... en un barrio más tranquilo.
(They would live in a quieter neighbourhood.)
6. Reformar:
: Mis padres ... la cocina primero.
(My parents would renovate the kitchen first.)
7. Buscar:
¿Tú ... algo con menos gastos de comunidad?
(Would you look for something with lower service charges?)
8. Buscar:
: Nosotros ... con la ayuda de la inmobiliaria.
(We would look with the help of the estate agent.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that uses the simple conditional appropriately in each context related to buying or renting a home.

1.
Incorrect: 'will rent' is future, not conditional, which is necessary to express a hypothesis.
Incorrect: 'rented' is the imperfect subjunctive, not conditional. Here the simple conditional with the ending '-ía' is needed.
2.
Incorrect: after 'if' the imperfect subjunctive 'were' is used, not conditional 'would be'.
3.
Incorrect: after 'if' for hypothesis, subjunctive 'were' must be used, not indicative 'was'.
Incorrect: 'rented' is imperfect past, not conditional, which is necessary here.
4.
Incorrect: 'has' is indicative; subjunctive 'had' is used for hypothesis.
Incorrect: after 'if' subjunctive 'had' is used, not conditional 'would have'.

The Simple Conditional in Spanish

The simple conditional tense is essential for expressing wishes, hypotheses, and recommendations in Spanish. This lesson focuses on how to form and use the condicional simple, a structure that helps you communicate possibilities or polite requests.

Forming the Conditional

The conditional is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive of the verb. These endings are: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. For example, the verb alquilar (to rent) changes as follows:

  • Yo alquilaría – I would rent
  • Tú alquilarías – You would rent
  • Él/Ella alquilaría – He/She would rent
  • Nosotros/as alquilaríamos – We would rent
  • Vosotros/as alquilaríais – You all would rent
  • Ellos/as alquilarían – They would rent

Usage of the Conditional

This tense is mainly used to indicate:

  • Wishes: Expressing what you would like to do.
  • Hypotheses: Talking about hypothetical situations.
  • Recommendations or polite requests: Making suggestions with politeness.

Examples Highlighted in This Lesson

Consider these phrases:

  • Si tuviera más dinero, alquilaría un piso en el centro. (If I had more money, I would rent an apartment downtown.)
  • ¿Alquilarías este apartamento si estuviera más barato? (Would you rent this apartment if it were cheaper?)
  • Nosotros alquilaríamos un ático si fuera más grande. (We would rent a penthouse if it were bigger.)

Comparing Spanish and English Conditionals

Unlike English, where the conditional is formed with "would" + verb, Spanish adds specific endings directly to the infinitive. Also, after "if" clauses in Spanish expressing hypotheses, you must use the imperfect subjunctive (si tuviera) rather than the imperfect indicative (si tenía), which differs from typical English conditional structures.

Useful phrases include:
Si tuviera (If I had), alquilaría (I would rent), and comprarías (you would buy).

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage