State Preferences Using the Conditional
Where would you like to go? What would you do there? Who would you prefer to travel with? How long would you stay? English uses the auxiliary verb “would” in front of the main verb to make statements in the conditional. Spanish uses the conditional tense. Remember how the future tense was formed in Spanish by simply adding endings to the infinitive? The conditional is formed exactly the same way — only the endings are different.
Subject Pronoun |
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Notice that the conditional endings are identical for
Stem Changes in the Conditional
The conditional can be used in two-verb combinations or as a standalone conjugation. It generally implies a hypothetical situation whether or not an actual hypothesis is stated. Let's look a bit more closely at these two ways of using the conditional.
All the conditional endings are based on combinations of ía, even for
Conditional Verb + Infinitive
The conditional is often used with verbs like
Listen to each example on Track 49 as you follow along in the text. Repeat each statement after you hear it.
(I would very much like to visit the castles of Spain.)
(My husband would prefer to travel through South America.)
(I think you would choose to explore the Caribbean islands, wouldn't
The verb
Remember that, in Spanish, when two verbs go walking, the first one does the talking. In other words, the first verb is conjugated and the second remains in the infinitive, present, or past participle form:
Other verbs commonly used in the conditional with infinitives are
(You and I could leave for Lima on Saturday.)
(They wouldn't know how to choose a destination.)
(It would be a good idea to look for discounts on hotels.)
(I would have to ask for vacation immediately.)
(The airline rates would have to be compared.)
(Your brother should help you.)*
*Notice that
The Conditional as Hypothesis
You can also conjugate stand-alone verbs in the conditional to make hypothetical statements expressing what someone would do in given circumstances. For example,
The word for “vacation” in Spanish is plural, vacaciones, and any verbs associated with the word should be conjugated in the plural. If this strikes you as odd, remember that English has the equivalent plural “holidays” which, though uncommon in the United States, is used in many English-speaking countries.
Would you rather go to the mountains or the beach, the desert or the plains? Make your list and then see if any of your ideal locations appear in the following list.
Practice: The Conditional
Now answer the following questions to practice the conditional. You can find a translation of each question as well as a sample answer in Appendix D.
¿Adónde te gustaría ir de vacaciones? �Por qué preferirías ir allí? �Con quién viajarías? �Qué tendrían que hacer en preparación para el viaje? �Qué podrían hacer allí que no pueden hacer aquí? �Cuánto tiempo pasarían allí? ¿Sacarías muchas fotos o no llevarías una cámara? ¿Cúanto costaría el viaje?
