Reference · module 21
What you would do
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Hablaría, tendría
Build the conditional.
- The conditional is the future stem with the imperfect endings: hablaría, comerías, viviríamos.
- The irregular stems are the same twelve as the future: tendría, haría, diría, podría, saldría, vendría.
- Every single form carries an accent on the i, including nosotros. The future had one exception; this has none.
The mistake you are about to make
tenería
tendría
The conditional sits on the whole infinitive, so tenería looks fair. Tener changes its stem, as in the future: tendría.
Being polite with it
Use the conditional to soften what you say.
- me gustaría is the polite I would like: Me gustaría reservar una mesa. Quiero is blunt by comparison.
- ¿Podría? and ¿Sería posible? open a request without pressing. Both are what you use with a stranger.
- Advice takes deberías or yo que tú: Yo que tú, descansaría. Neither one tells anybody what to do.
The mistake you are about to make
Quiero reservar una mesa.
Me gustaría reservar una mesa.
"I want to book" is blunt in English too, and quiero is blunter still. Ask with me gustaría or querría.
Si tengo tiempo
Build a condition that might happen.
- A real condition takes the present after si and the future after that: Si tengo tiempo, iré.
- The other half can also be a command or a present: Si puedes, llámame. Si llueve, no salgo.
- si never takes the present subjunctive. Si venga is wrong however uncertain the meaning feels — that is what cuando is for.
The mistake you are about to make
Si tendré tiempo, iré.
Si tengo tiempo, iré.
Both halves are about the future, so the future goes into both. After si Spanish uses the present.
Si tuviera tiempo
Talk about what is not the case.
- For something untrue, si takes the past subjunctive and the other half takes the conditional: Si tuviera tiempo, iría.
- The past subjunctive is built from the ellos preterite: tuvieron gives tuviera, fueron gives fuera, hicieron gives hiciera.
- There is a second ending, -iese, which means exactly the same: tuviese, fuese. It is commoner in writing.
The mistake you are about to make
Si tendría tiempo, iría.
Si tuviera tiempo, iría.
Both halves are unreal, so the conditional goes into both. After si Spanish takes the past subjunctive: tuviera.