Conditional Regular Verbs

Think of the Conditional tense as the "dreamer's tense." It allows you to talk about things that aren't happening right now but could happen. If the sun were out, you caminarías (would walk) in the park. It also acts as a politeness filter for your speech. Instead of saying "I want," you say "I would like." It softens your tone and makes you sound much more fluent. The magic happens because the endings are the same for every single regular verb. It doesn't matter if it ends in -ar, -er, or -ir. They all share the same set of endings. This is a rare gift from the Spanish grammar gods! You keep the verb exactly as it is in the dictionary. Then, you simply glue the ending onto the very end of the word. It is like building with Lego blocks. You have your base (the infinitive) and your topper (the ending).

1. 1Start with the infinitive form of the verb. This is the version that ends in -ar, -er, or -ir (like hablar, comer, or vivir).
2. 2Do not remove the ending. This is the step where most people get tripped up by habit. Keep it whole!
3. 3Add the Conditional endings to the end of the infinitive.
4. 4Here are the endings you need to memorize:
5. 5Yo: -ía (I would)
6. 6Tú: -ías (You would)
7. 7Él/Ella/Usted: -ía (He/She/You formal would)
8. 8Nosotros/as: -íamos (We would)
9. 9Vosotros/as: -íais (You all would)
10. 10Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -ían (They/You all formal would)
11. 11Every single one of these endings has an accent mark on the letter i. Do not forget it! Without the accent, the rhythm of the word breaks. It is like trying to dance salsa without a beat.

• Polite Requests: This is perfect for ordering food or asking favors. ¿Podrías ayudarme? (Could you help me?) sounds much better than a direct command.
• Hypothetical Situations: Use it to talk about what you would do in a different reality. "If I had time, I estudiaría more."
• Future in the Past: This sounds fancy, but it is simple. It is for when you were talking in the past about something that was going to happen later. "He said he llegaría (would arrive) at five."
• Giving Advice: Use it to tell a friend what you would do in their shoes. Yo que tú, compraría el coche. (If I were you, I would buy the car.)
• Expressing Desires: Perfect for dreaming about your next vacation or a better job. Me gustaría viajar a México. (I would like to travel to Mexico.)

• Certainty: If something is definitely going to happen, use the Future tense. The Conditional is for the "maybe" world.
• Past Habits: Do not confuse this with the Imperfect tense. In English, we say "I would play soccer every day" to mean a habit. In Spanish, you must use the Imperfect (jugaba), not the Conditional (jugaría). The Conditional is for specific hypothetical actions, not repetitive past ones.
• After "If" (usually): In a "If... then..." sentence, the Conditional goes in the "then" part, not the "if" part. Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. (If I had money, I would travel.) You wouldn't say Si viajaría... in this context. It is a common trap, but you are smarter than that!

• The Accent Mark: People often forget the accent on the í. It is mandatory for every person. If you skip it, you are basically whispering when you should be speaking clearly.
• Chopping the Stem: Many learners try to remove the -ar, -er, or -ir. If you say hablaría as hablía, you sound like a broken radio. Keep that infinitive intact!
• Mixing with Imperfect: As mentioned, don't use it for "I would do that every summer." Use it for "I would do that right now if I could."
• Pronunciation: Make sure you stress the í. It should sound like ha-blar-Í-a.
• Yo vs. Él/Ella: Notice that the yo form and the él/ella form are identical. Both end in -ía. You might need to use the pronoun (like yo or ella) to avoid confusion. Otherwise, people might think you are talking about your cat when you are actually talking about yourself.

• Conditional vs. Future: The Future tense (hablaré) says "I will speak." The Conditional (hablaría) says "I would speak." One is a promise; the other is a possibility.
• Conditional vs. Imperfect: The Imperfect (hablaba) is for "I used to speak." The Conditional is for "I would speak (if conditions were right)." English uses "would" for both, which is why this is the #1 headache for English speakers. Just remember: habit = Imperfect, hypothesis = Conditional.
• Conditional vs. Present: Quiero (I want) is direct. Querría or gustaría (I would like) is polite. Using the Conditional is like wearing a suit to a job interview instead of pajamas.