Excerpt from textbook notes and journal on the subjects of the Spanish Conditional Tense and

the Imperfect Subjunctive:

“The Conditional Tense
Another form of the subjunctive and used with WEIRDO [Wish/Will, Emotion, Impersonal
Expressions, Requests/Recommendations, Doubt/Denial, Ojalá] verbs.
Used for hypotheticals and probabilities (If I could, I would…)
Formed with same root as future tense. There are three types of irregular verbs:
1) Last vowel in the infinitive (-a, -e, -i) is replaced with a “-d”
2) The last vowel in the infinitive is removed
3) Plain ol’ irregular verbs
Ejemplos: Tener > tendr-; poner>pondr-; salir>saldr-; haber>habr-; querer>querr-;
saber>sabr-; decir>dir-; hacer>har-
Practica:
¿(nosotros - tener) bastante dinero para comprar los libros? Tendríamos
Nos indicó que la película (comenzar) temprano. Comenzaría
(yo - venir) a tu casa pero mi carro no funciona. Veniría
(Tú - haber) llegado a tiempo pero el autobús se retrasó. Habrías
El alumno (deber) practicar más las conjugaciones de los verbos. Debería
(Usted - llamar) al doctor. Llamaría
Carmen (deber) hacer ejercicios. Debería
La casa (valer) mil dólares. Valdría”
--
“The Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive
Pretty much the same as the present subjunctive in construction, but is used for more than the
imperfect past. Includes imperfect, preterite, conditional, or past perfect WEIRDO verbs in the
independent clause.
Usually re: previous experience, but also can refer to unlikely events or possibilities
Ejemplo del texto: Si yo fuera tú, no lo haría (If I [were] you, I wouldn’t do it) and Si
tuviera más dinero, viajaría por todo el mundo (If I had more money, I would travel around the
whole world).
Constructed using the third person preterite verb as the root, remove the –aron/-ieron conjugation
and replace with the appropriate conjugation endings of –se or –ra (profe says –ra is more
common, but is up to personal preference)
Note: Nosotros imperfect subjunctive conjugations have a tilde on the vowel that comes
immediately before the subjunctive ending (ej: habláramos/hablásemos and
escribiéramos/escribiésemos)
Use following subjunctive “verb+que” form, more or less.
-Past occurences: If the WEIRDO verb in the independent clause is in the preterite or the
imperfect, then the subjunctive verb that follows will be imperfect.
Ejemplo: Quise que vinieras/vinieses a mi fiesta (I wanted you [<independent clause] to
come to my party)
Tenía miedo de que no lloviera/lloviese (I was scared it wouldn’t rain)
-Current opinion of a past event: To express WEIRDO about something that happened in the past
Ejemplo: Es bueno que él se casara/casase (It's good that he got married)
-“If” clauses: used when followed by “si” in a hypothetical, the “then” (stated or implied) is
followed by the conditional.
Ejemplo: Si yo fuera/fuese reina, viajaría por todo el mundo. If I were queen, I would
travel all over the world.
-Polite suggestions and requests: note: extremely polite (or ominously polite? Mwahahaha)
Ejemplo: Quisiera/Quisiese dos semanas de vacaciones (I would like two weeks of
vacation)

-ía is “would”, -se/-ra is “could”(?)

Practica:
Era increíble que (tú - sobrevivir) al terremoto. Sobrevivieras
Silvia quería que sus hijos (pensar) de forma positiva y constructiva. Pensarían
Si (tú - tener) más dinero, comprarías un coche nuevo. Tuvieras
Julio deseaba que yo (traer) las bebidas. Traera
Si (yo - tener) buena salud, trabajaría y compraría una casa. Tuviera
Deseabais que (volver) los días de suerte. Volvieran
Ojalá que (nevar) este julio en Florida. Nevara
Esperaba que se (vender) su cuadro rápidamente. Vendiera