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Uses of the simple conditional in Spanish
The conditional has several uses in Spanish. The simple conditional in Spanish does not use auxiliary verbs as in English. If it helps, you can think of the Spanish conditional as the English “would” (I would like) because it would be the equivalent of the Spanish conditional tense.
Below, we explain the most important uses of the simple conditional in Spanish:
a) Hypothetical situations
The Spanish conditional is used to talk about things that could happen if certain conditions are met. For example:
- Si estudiaras más, sacarías mejores notas (If you studied harder, you would get better grades)
- Si fuera rico, viajaría por el mundo (If I were rich, I would travel the world)
b) Courtesy and formal requests
It is also common to use the simple conditional in Spanish to address others politely:
- ¿Podría ayudarme, por favor? (Could you help me, please?)
- Me gustaría reservar una mesa para do (I would like to reserve a table for two)
c) Future in the past
When speaking in the past and mentioning a future action from that moment, the Spanish conditional tense is also used. Examples:
- Dijo que llegaría tarde (He said he would be late)
- Pensábamos que haría frío, pero hacía mucho calor (We thought it would be cold, but it was very hot)
d) Probability in the past
Another use is to express assumptions about past events.
- Serían las diez cuando llegó (It would be ten o'clock when he arrived) (it was probably ten o'clock)
- Juan tendría unos 30 años cuando se casó (Juan would have been about 30 when he got married) (supposition)
e) Advice and suggestions
The Spanish conditional is useful for making recommendations in a polite way.
- Yo que tú, estudiaría más (If I were you, I would study more)
- Deberías descansar un poco (You should get some rest)