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El condicional simple en español expresa deseos e hipótesis con formas como 'alquilaría' y 'comprarías'. Aprende a usarlo para hablar de situaciones hipotéticas, por ejemplo, "Yo alquilaría un piso".
  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.
TúAlquilarías (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 properly uses the simple conditional in each context related to buying or renting a home.

1.
Incorrect: 'will rent' is future tense, not conditional, which is needed to express a hypothesis.
Incorrect: 'rented' is imperfect subjunctive, not conditional. Here the simple conditional ending in '-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; for hypothesis subjunctive 'had' is used.
Incorrect: after 'if' subjunctive 'had' is used, not conditional 'would have'.

Understanding the Simple Conditional in Spanish

This lesson introduces you to the simple conditional tense in Spanish, a key component for expressing desires, hypotheses, and recommendations. At level A2, you will learn how to form and use this tense with regular verbs like alquilar (to rent).

Formation of the Simple Conditional

The simple conditional in Spanish is formed by attaching specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb. These endings are: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. For example, with the verb alquilar:

PersonFormExample
Yo (I)AlquilaríaYo alquilaría un piso pequeño.
Tú (You singular)Alquilarías¿Tú alquilarías una casa?
Él / ella (He / she)AlquilaríaElla alquilaría con sus amigos.
Nosotros/as (We)AlquilaríamosNosotros alquilaríamos un ático.
Vosotros/as (You plural)Alquilaríais¿Vosotros alquilaríais este apartamento?
Ellos/as (They)AlquilaríanEllos alquilarían una casa en campo.

Usage of the Simple Conditional

This tense is primarily used to express:

  • Wishes and desires: e.g., "Me gustaría viajar a España" (I would like to travel to Spain).
  • Hypothetical situations: expressing what could happen under certain conditions, like "Si tuviera más dinero, alquilaría un piso en el centro" (If I had more money, I would rent an apartment downtown).
  • Recommendations or polite requests: e.g., "¿Podrías ayudarme?" (Could you help me?).

Important Notes and Useful Expressions

When forming sentences with conditions, the verb after "si" usually takes the past subjunctive (e.g., tuviera) while the main clause uses the simple conditional (alquilaría). For example:

  • Si tuviera una casa, no alquilaría un piso.

Some useful words for talking about housing include:

  • piso: apartment
  • casa: house
  • ático: penthouse
  • alquilar: to rent

Differences between English and Spanish Conditional Usage

Unlike English, where the conditional often uses "would" + verb, Spanish forms the conditional by adding endings directly onto the infinitive. Spanish also blends polite requests and hypothetical statements clearly into this tense. Additionally, Spanish uses the subjunctive mood after "si" (if) clauses for hypothetical situations, which differs from English conditional sentences.

For example, the phrase "Would you rent this apartment if it were cheaper?" translates as:

  • ¿Alquilarías este apartamento si estuviera más barato?

Note the use of alquilarías (conditional) and estuviera (imperfect subjunctive) in Spanish, which differs from the English structure.

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