Me gustaría un café
The Conditional in Spanish
In Spanish, the conditional mood is used to express theoretical possibilities, wishes, advice, and polite requests, similar to the English use of “would”, “should”, and “could”. It is used for recommendations, suggestions, desires, or proposals regarding the present or future, as well as for hypothetical or improbable conditional statements. Let’s explore some examples:
When expressing wishes or preferences in Spanish it is common to use verbs such as “gustar” (to like), “encantar” (to love), and “preferir” (to prefer).
Compare
*Notice how all the pronouns are conjugated exactly the same in all three types of infinitives (-ar, -er, and -ir).
Irregular Verbs
As is often the case, there are irregular verbs. Note that while the ending remains unchanged, the stem undergoes alterations. Let’s examine them closely:
The following irregular verbs lose the “e” of the -er ending before adding the particular endings:
These irregular verbs replace the vowel of the infinitive ending -er and -ir with a “d” before adding the endings:
The following irregular verbs undergo a change in the stem, which is applied to all the pronouns:
*We use the conditional “querría” (I would like)) and the imperfect subjunctive “quisiera” (I would like) to “soften” statements that can be made with the present tense “quiero” (I want). “Quería” (I wanted) is also appropriate in this context, as a form of politeness.
Exercises / Ejercicios
(If I were you, I would make less food)
2. Nos gusta mucho esa casa, pero vivir en una más pequeña. (nosotros / preferir)
(We really like that house, but we would prefer to live in a smaller one)
3. llamar a Paco. No se ha sentido bien. (nosotros / deber)
(We should call Paco. He has not been feeling well)
4. ¿ quedarse en casa este domingo? (ustedes / gustar)
(Would you like to stay home this Sunday?)
5. Este reporte está bien, pero mejor con un lenguaje más formal. (estar)
(This report is fine, but it would be better with a more formal language)
6. ir a ver al médico. (tú / deber)
(You should go see the doctor)
7. Yo, en su lugar, no un abrigo. Está haciendo mucho calor. (yo / ponerse)
(In your place, I would not wear a coat. It is very hot)
8. conocer Cuba. (nosotros / encantar)
(We would love to visit Cuba)
9. A mis papás ver a sus nietos todos los días. (ellos / encantar)
(My parents would love to see their grandchildren every day)
10. Yo no eso en tu lugar. (yo / hacer)
(I would not do that if I were you)
Exercises / Ejercicios
(In your place I would pay more attention in class)
2. ¿ (tú) venir mañana a las 11:00 a.m.?
(Could you come tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.?)
3. (nosotros) cada fin de semana, pero no tenemos tiempo.
(We would go out every weekend, but we do not have time)
4. ¿ (ustedes) ver una película de terror?
(Would you like to watch a horror movie?)
5. (yo) acostarme temprano hoy. Mañana debo levantarme temprano.
(I would prefer to go to bed early today. I have to wake up early tomorrow)
6. Gustavo dice que lo posible para ahorrar más dinero.
(Gustavo says he would do everything possible to save more money)
7. Yo, en tu lugar, no qué hacer.
(If I were you, I would not know what to do)
8. Jorge dice que un gato, pero sus papás no quieren.
(Jorge says he would have a cat, but his parents do not want to)
9. José vender su departamento, pero su esposa no quiere.
(Jose would like to sell his apartment, but his wife does not want to)
10. ¿Qué (tú) si te ofrecen un nuevo puesto?
(What would you say if they offered you a new position?)
In this lesson, we explored the concept of the subjunctive mood in Spanish. We provided an overview of how the subjunctive mood is formed and used in Spanish, exploring many examples, uses and, most importantly, we shed light on the crucial distinctions between the subjunctive and indicative moods. We also covered irregular verbs in the subjunctive mood to provide an understanding. If you are interested in further enriching your understanding of Spanish, we recommend exploring “Introduction to Spanish Conjugations”.