Future and Conditional Shared Ir

Usually, you keep the whole verb like comer and add é to get comeré. For these irregulars, you throw away the infinitive ending and use a special version. This special version is called the "irregular stem." Once you have that stem, you just glue on the standard endings. The endings for the Future and Conditional never change, even for these rebels. You only have to worry about the middle part of the word. It is like swapping the engine of a car but keeping the same steering wheel. You will use these stems to talk about what you "will" do or what you "would" do.

1. 1There are three main ways these verbs change their stems.
2. 2The "D" Squad: These verbs replace the last vowel of the infinitive with a d.
3. 3tener becomes tendr-
4. 4poner becomes pondr-
5. 5salir becomes saldr-
6. 6venir becomes vendr-
7. 7valer becomes valdr-
8. 8The "E-Eaters": These verbs simply drop the e from the infinitive ending.
9. 9poder becomes podr-
10. 10querer becomes querr-
11. 11saber becomes sabr-
12. 12haber becomes habr-
13. 13caber becomes cabr-
14. 14The Rebels: These two are just unique and need to be memorized.
15. 15decir becomes dir-
16. 16hacer becomes har-
17. 17After you pick your stem, add the Future endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) or the Conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían).

You will use the Future stems when you are making promises. Use them when you are predicting the weather or your career path. If you are at a job interview, you might say tendré éxito (I will have success). Use them for "I wonder" statements in the present. For example, ¿Quién será? means "I wonder who that is?"

The Conditional stems come out when you are being polite. Use them to ask for directions without sounding bossy. ¿Podría ayudarme? (Could you help me?) sounds much better than a command. Use them for hypothetical "what if" scenarios. If you won the lottery, you tendrías a big house. It is the language of dreams and courtesy.

Do not use these irregular stems for the Present tense. Yo tendré is future, but the present is yo tengo. Do not use them for the Subjunctive either. That is a different grammar party entirely. Also, remember that most verbs are regular. Do not try to turn comer into comdré. It sounds funny and will confuse your barista. Only apply these changes to the specific list of irregular verbs. If a verb is not on the list, keep it regular.

One big mistake is forgetting the double r in querría. If you only use one r, it sounds like quería (I wanted). That changes the whole meaning! Another mistake is mixing up saber and salir. Sabré means "I will know," but saldré means "I will go out." Mixing these up might lead to you "knowing" to a party instead of "going out" to one. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired. Think of it like a grammar traffic light; slow down and pick the right stem. Finally, watch those accents. Every single Conditional ending has an accent on the í.

People often confuse the Future and the Conditional because they share these stems. The difference is all in the ending. The Future endings are short and punchy: é, ás, á. They sound like you are sure about something. The Conditional endings are longer and smoother: ía, ías, ía. They sound more soft and uncertain. Think of the Future as a straight line and the Conditional as a wavy line. Both start at the same irregular stem, but they finish in different places.