Occupation: expectations and reality
Trabajo: expectativas y realidad
- Share your work expectations and contrast with your reality.
- Compound conditional of indicative
Explore the conditional perfect tense by discussing Diego Velázquez's career, using key vocabulary like "pintor" (painter), "expectativas" (expectations), and "realidad" (reality) to contrast hopes and outcomes in occupations.
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 you to a fascinating Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez, a well-established artist in Spain, while focusing on the compound conditional tense (condicional compuesto) in Spanish. The compound conditional is used to express hypothetical situations about the past, showing what would have happened under certain conditions.
What You Will Learn in This Lesson
- How to form and use the condicional compuesto in Spanish.
- Key expressions to talk about past hypothetical scenarios related to occupations and life expectations.
- Vocabulary related to professions and personal aspirations.
- Contextual examples using Diego Velázquez’s life as a backdrop.
Understanding the Compound Conditional (Condicional Compuesto)
The condicional compuesto is formed by combining the conditional form of the verb haber with a past participle. It translates to English phrases like "would have done," "would have been," or "could have happened." For example, "Velázquez habría pintado muchas obras famosas." means "Velázquez would have painted many famous works."
Examples of Useful Vocabulary and Expressions
- pintor consolidado – established painter
- haber + past participle – to form the compound conditional
- expectativas – expectations
- realidad – reality
- debería haber – should have
- podría haber – could have
Comparing Spanish and English Conditional Usage
In English, the compound conditional typically uses the structure "would have" + past participle, similar to Spanish's condicional compuesto. However, Spanish always requires the verb haber in the conditional form plus the past participle, whereas English does not require an auxiliary verb in the same way.
Useful phrases like "Debería haber estudiado más" translate directly to "I should have studied more," showing a past regret or missed opportunity, which is expressed in a similar way in English but with different verb construction.
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