Future and Conditional of Spanish Verbs

Future Tense

The future tense is used to indicate that an action will happen in the future. The future tense is formed by adding grammatical endings to the infinitive of the verb.

The following table shows the future tense for the three classes of verbs.

Examples

Often in Spanish the structure ir a + [verb] is used to indicate that an action will happen very soon. The verb ir is very irregular. Have a look at the Present Tense of Spanish Verbs lesson to review how to use the verb ir in the present tense.

Examples

Conditional Tense

The conditional tense indicates uncertainty that an action will happen, or that an action will happen only if certain conditions are met. It is also used to make polite requests or when reporting what someone else said. In English the conditional is marked by the auxillary verbs 'would', 'could', and 'should'. In Spanish the conditional tense is created by adding grammatical endings to the infinitive of the verb.

The following table shows the conditional tense for the three classes of verbs.

Hypothetical Situations

The conditional is used to describe what would happen under certain conditions. A common sentence structure for hypothetical situations is si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional clause.

Examples

Si fuera rico, compraría una casa grande.	If I were rich, I would buy a big house.
Si tuviera tiempo, aprendería a tocar el piano.	If I had time, I would learn to play piano.
Si lloviera mañana, no saldríamos de excursión.	If it rained tomorrow, we wouldn't go on the trip.
Si supieras la verdad, te sorprenderías.	If you knew the truth, you would be surprised.
Si yo fuera tú, no lo haría.	If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.

Polite Requests and Suggestions

The conditional is used to make polite requests and is often used when making suggestions.

Examples

¿Te gustaría ir conmigo?	Would you like to go with me?
¿Podrías ayudarme?	Could you help me?
¿Podrías cerrar la ventana, por favor?	Could you close the window, please?
Me gustaría una taza de café, por favor.	I would like a cup of coffee please.
¿Querrías acompañarme al médico?	Would you like to come with me to the doctor?
¿Sería posible cambiar la cita para el jueves?	Would it be possible to reschedule the appointment for Thursday?
¿Irías a la tienda?	Would you go to the store?

Probability or conjecture about the past

The conditional is used when speculating about what happened in the past.

Examples

Serían las nueve cuando ella llegó.	It would be around nine when they arrived.
Probablemente habría terminado el trabajo antes de irse.	He probably would have finished the work before leaving.
Seguramente serían más de cien personas en la reunión.	There were probably more than a hundred people at the meeting.
Probablemente lo habrían destrozado.	They probably would have wrecked it.

Future in the past / reported speech

The conditional is used to express a future action from a past viewpoint. It is also used when reporting what someone else has said.

Examples

Ella dijo que vendría mañana	She said that she would come tomorrow.
Ella prometió que nos llamaría cuando llegara.	She promised that she would call us when she arrived.
El profesor explicó que el examen sería la próxima semana.	The instructor explained that the exam would be next week.
Alejandro mencionó que llegaría tarde.	Alejandro mentioned that he would arrive late.

Giving Advice

The conditional is often used when giving advice.

Examples

Si quieres ahorrar, comprarías menos cosas innecesarias.	If you want to save, you would buy fewer unnecessary things.
Para sentirte mejor, descansarías más y beberías agua.	To feel better, you would rest more and drink water.
Deberías ser más responsable.	You should be more responsible.
Deberían pensar antes de hablar.	They should think before they speak.

Irregular Verbs in the Future and Conditional

There are a few verbs that are irregular in the future and conditional tenses. For these verbs the stem of the verb is different, but the grammatical endings remain the same.

Here are some other verbs that are irregular in the future and conditional tenses. The stem of the verb is altered, but the same grammatical endings are added as for regular verbs.

Examples