THE CONDITIONAL TENSE

We use the conditional tense to express the feeling of future uncertainty,

and it is generally translated into the English WOULD + verb.

In Spanish, the conditional tense is a simple tense that doesn’t need any
auxiliary (helping) verb; expression of the conditional is shown in the main
verb itself.

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR VERBS IN THE CONDITIONAL TENSE

Most verbs in the conditional tense are regular. To form the conditional
tense regularly, use the infinitive itself as the stem, and then add the
following conditional tense endings:

-ía
ías
-ía
-íamos
-íais
-ían

These are the endings for all verbs, whether regular or irregular. These
last verbs make a change in the stem, not in the ending. All endings take an
accent.

Hablar: hablaría, hablarías, hablaría, hablaríamos, hablaríais, hablarían.

Comer: comería, comerías, comería, comeríamos, comeríais, comerían.
Vivir: viviría, vivirías, viviría, viviríamos, viviríais, vivirían.

Iría al teatro con Marcos - I would go to the theatre with Marcos.

Nos levantaríamos a las cinco - We would get up at five o’clock.

CONJUGATION OF IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE CONDITIONAL

TENSE

The conditional and the future tenses share the same irregular verbs. The
conditional endings remain the same; however, the infinitive is not retained
entirely.
Group 1: Infinitive stem remains the same but the final vowel of its ending
is dropped.

Caber: cabría, cabrías, cabría .... (to fit in,/have enough room)
Haber: habría, habrías, habría ...
Poder: podría, podrías, podría .... (to be able to, can)
Querer: querría, querrías, querría .... (to want)
Saber: sabría, sabrías, sabría ... (to know a fact/to know how)

Group 2: Infinitive stem remains the same but the final vowel of its ending
is dropped AND replaced with the letter d.

Poner: pondría, pondrías, pondría ... (to put/place)

Salir: saldría, saldrías, saldría ... (to go out/leave)
Tener: tendría, tendrías, tendría .... (to have/hold)
Valer: valdría, valdrías, valdría .... (to be worth/cost)
Venir: vendría, vendrías, vendría .... (to come)

Group 3: An entirely different stem is used.

Decir: diría, dirías, diría ... (to say/tell)

Hacer: haría, harías, haría ... (to do/make)

DERIVATIVES OF IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE CONDITIONAL TENSE

Several verbs have as their root verbs that are in the list below. When the
root verb is irregular (tener) its derivatives will be irregular also (obtener,
detener...).

One EXCEPTION to this rule is the verb BENDECIR (to bless), derived
from the verb DECIR. It has to be conjugated regularly in the conditional:

Bendecir: bendeciría, bendecirías, bendeciría ....

Otherwise, the verbs listed below (shown only in the conditional yo form)
are conjugated irregularly, as are their roots.

Abstenerse de + infinitive: me abstendría de + inf (to abstain from)

Atenerse a: me atendría a (to depend on, rely on)
Componer: compondría (to compose)
Contener: contendría (to contain/hold)
Convenir en + infinitive: convendría en + inf (to agree to do something)
Deshacer: desharía (to undo/untie a knot)
Detener: detendría (to detain/stop/arrest)
Mantener: mantendría (to mantain)
Obtener: obtendría (to obtain/get)
Oponerse: me opondría (to oppose)
Ponerse: me pondría (to put on-clothing/become/set-the sun)
Rehacer: reharía (to redo/remake)
Sostener: sostendría (to sustain/support/uphold)
Suponer: supondría (to suppose/assume)