El condicional para expresar con

This tense works by taking the entire verb—the infinitive—and adding specific endings. Unlike the present tense where hablar becomes hablo, the conditional keeps the hablar intact. You just add the ending to the r. It is a very stable tense. It expresses actions that depend on a condition. For example, "I would go, but I have to work." It also handles "probability in the past." If you are wondering what time it was yesterday when the pizza arrived, you use the conditional. It bridges the gap between reality and possibility. It is the language of "what if" and "maybe."

1. 1Forming the conditional is a three-step process. It is easier than assembling IKEA furniture, I promise.
2. 2Start with the infinitive of the verb (e.g., comer, vivir, hablar).
3. 3Do not remove the -ar, -er, or -ir endings.
4. 4Add the following endings to the end of the infinitive for ALL verb groups:
5. 5Yo: -ía
6. 6Tú: -ías
7. 7Él/Ella/Usted: -ía
8. 8Nosotros: -íamos
9. 9Vosotros: -íais
10. 10Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -ían
11. 11Yes, you read that right. The endings are the same for every single verb type. Even the irregulars use these same endings; they just change their stem slightly. For example, tener becomes tendr- and then you add -ía to get tendría. It is like a grammar cheat code.

There are four main scenarios where the conditional shines like a star.

• Courtesy and Politeness: This is the most common use. Instead of saying "Give me water," which sounds like a command, you say ¿Podría darme agua? (Could you give me water?). Use it in restaurants or when asking for directions to avoid looking like a rude tourist.
• Giving Advice: Use it with the verb deber (should) or in the phrase Yo que tú... (If I were you...). For example, Deberías dormir más (You should sleep more). It makes your advice sound helpful rather than bossy.
• Hypothetical Situations: Use it to talk about what you would do in a dream scenario. "If I had a million dollars, I viajaría (would travel) the world." It is the tense of daydreams.
• Future in the Past: This sounds complicated but it is simple. If you said yesterday that you "would call" today, that is the conditional. Dijiste que llamarías (You said you would call).
• Conjecture about the Past: If you want to guess something about the past, use it. Serían las ocho means "It was probably eight o'clock."

Do not use the conditional for things that are actually happening right now. That is for the present tense. Also, be careful with "if" clauses. In Spanish, we never use the conditional immediately after the word si (if).

• ✗ Si yo tendría dinero... (Wrong)
• ✓ Si yo tuviera dinero, compraría... (Correct)

The conditional is the result, not the condition itself. Think of it like a traffic light: the si part is the red light (stop, use subjunctive), and the conditional is the green light (go ahead and use it for the result). Also, do not use it for simple future plans. If you are definitely going to the gym, use the future tense, not the conditional.

One big mistake is forgetting the accent marks. Every single ending in the conditional has an accent on the í. If you leave it off, it is not the conditional anymore. Another classic error is trying to conjugate the stem like the present tense. Remember: keep the infinitive whole!

Native speakers sometimes mix up the conditional and the imperfect subjunctive in speech, but for your B1 exam, keep them separate. Also, watch out for the "12 irregulars." These are the same troublemakers from the future tense (like hacer -> haría, decir -> diría). If you know the future tense irregulars, you already know these. It is a two-for-one deal!

The conditional is often confused with the Future Tense.

• Future: Comeré (I will eat) - Certainty about the future.
• Conditional: Comería (I would eat) - Depends on a condition.

It is also different from the Imperfect Tense.

• Imperfect: Comía (I used to eat) - A past habit.
• Conditional: Comería (I would eat) - A hypothetical or polite request.

Notice how comía and comería look almost identical? The only difference is that extra er in the middle. That little er is the difference between "I was eating" and "I would eat." It is a small detail that changes everything, like salt in a cake recipe.