Occupation: expectations and reality
Trabajo: expectativas y realidad
- Share your work expectations and contrast with your reality.
- Compound conditional of indicative
Explore the Spanish compound conditional tense through the example of Diego Velázquez, focusing on expressing hypothetical past actions and reflections about occupation expectations and reality. This B1 level lesson covers the formation, key vocabulary, and practical usage of the "condicional compuesto de indicativo", helping learners discuss what could have happened in professional contexts.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
B1.18.1 Cultura
Diego Velázquez, pintor consolidado de España
Diego Velázquez, established painter of Spain
Vocabulary (12) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Condicional compuesto de indicativo
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Compound conditional of indicative
Show translation Show answershabríamos ayudado, habría aceptado, habría logrado, habría elegido, Habrías querido, habríais cometido, Habrías logrado, habría seguido
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Despedir to fire Share Copied!
Condicional simple
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) despediría | I would fire |
| (tú) despedirías | You would fire |
| (él/ella) despediría | he/she would fire |
| (nosotros/nosotras) despediríamos | we would fire |
| (vosotros/vosotras) despediríais | You would fire |
| (ellos/ellas) despedirían | they would fire |
Despedir to fire Share Copied!
Condicional perfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) me habría despedido | I would have fired |
| (tú) te habrías despedido | You would have fired |
| (él/ella) se habría despedido | He/She would have fired |
| (nosotros/nosotras) nos habríamos despedido | We would have fired |
| (vosotros/vosotras) os habríais despedido | You would have fired |
| (ellos/ellas) se habrían despedido | They would have fired |
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Occupation: Expectations and Reality
This lesson introduces students to the condicional compuesto de indicativo in Spanish through the context of Diego Velázquez, a renowned Spanish painter. It is designed for B1 level learners who want to deepen their understanding of expressing hypothetical situations about past actions and how they relate to occupations or personal experiences.
Understanding the Condicional Compuesto
The focus is on the compound conditional tense, which is used to describe actions that would have happened under certain conditions. For example:
"Velázquez habría pintado muchos retratos importantes si hubiera tenido más tiempo." (Velázquez would have painted many important portraits if he had had more time.)
Key Grammar and Vocabulary Highlights
- Forming the tense: Uses the conditional of haber + past participle.
- Common phrases: habría hecho (would have done), habrías visto (you would have seen), habríamos dicho (we would have said).
- Contextual vocabulary: occupation-related words like pintor (painter), obra (work/art piece), expectativas (expectations), realidad (reality).
Practical Usage and Cultural Notes
This tense helps learners discuss hypothetical career choices and reflect on historical or personal 'what if' scenarios, enhancing conversational skills about professions and life decisions. Comparing this Spanish structure with English shows that while English uses "would have + past participle," Spanish always combines it with haber. This difference can be tricky but mastering it enriches expression.
Useful phrases include:
"Si hubiera estudiado arte, habría sido pintor." (If I had studied art, I would have been a painter.)
"Ella habría preferido trabajar como escultora." (She would have preferred to work as a sculptor.)
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