The Irregular Conditional: tendría, podría, haría, diría

Spanish: El Condicional Irregular: tendría, podría, haría, diría

Level: B1 Intermediate

Category: verbs

Explanation

The irregular conditional uses exactly the same irregular stems as the irregular future, but with the conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían). If you already know the irregular future, you just need to change the endings. For example, from the future "tendré" you get the conditional "tendría". There are twelve main verbs with irregular stems, grouped into three categories. In the first group, the vowel of the ending disappears: poder→podr-, querer→querr-, saber→sabr-, haber→habr-, caber→cabr-. In the second group, the vowel is replaced by a "d": tener→tendr-, poner→pondr-, salir→saldr-, venir→vendr-, valer→valdr-. In the third group, the stem is very short and irregular: hacer→har-, decir→dir-. We use the conditional to express politeness ("Could you help me?"), give advice ("If I were you, I would make a reservation"), talk about hypothetical situations ("I would have more time if I didn't work so much") and express polite wishes ("I would like a coffee, please"). It is very common in formal conversations, such as in hotels, restaurants and banks. The important thing to remember is that the conditional endings are ALWAYS regular, even for these irregular verbs. The only irregularity is in the stem, which is identical to the future stem. Every person carries an accent on the "í" of the ending.

Examples

• ¿Podría traerme la carta, por favor? - Could you bring me the menu, please?
• Yo que usted, haría una reserva para la cena. - If I were you, I would make a reservation for dinner.
• ¿Tendría una habitación con vistas al parque? - Would you have a room with a view of the park?
• Querría un café con leche y un croissant. - I would like a coffee with milk and a croissant.
• ¿Sabría decirme dónde está la farmacia más cercana? - Would you know how to tell me where the nearest pharmacy is?