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15.12: The Conditional

  • Page ID
    234934
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    To form el condicional, add these endings onto the end of your infinitive:

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    ¿Te gustaría conocer Salto Ángel?

    The English equivalent of this tense is would (for something that has not happened yet).

    ¿Qué harías tú? ________

    Yo compraría la camiseta azul. ________

    A mi madre le gustaría ir a Guatemala. ________

    The irregular verbs in el condicional are identical to those of el futuro:

    Poner Pondr-
    Haber Habr-
    Salir Saldr-
    Hacer Har-
    Poder Podr-
    Tener Tendr-
    Querer Querr-
    Saber Sabr-
    Venir Vendr-
    Decir Dir-
    Valer Valdr-
    Caber Cabr-

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    ¿Querrías viajar en el tiempo?

    Just like the future tense, el condicional is also used equivalent to the English phrase, “I wonder....” but for wondering about something that happened in the past.

    · ¿Quién cometería el crimen? ________

    · Someone rings the doorbell, but you don’t get there in time:

    · [Din Don] ¿Quién sería? ________

    On the same note, it is also used when discussing what was “probably” happening.

    · You called your best friend last week but they never called you back. You might think to yourself:

    · Estaría muy ocupad@. ________

    We use it to make polite requests and to “soften” deber (to must becomes to should).

    · ¿Me prestarías tu carro mañana, por favor? ________

    · Me gustaría el arroz con pollo, por favor. ________

    · Alejandro, deberías estudiar más. ________

    Also, the conditional tense is used when making hypothetical or contrary-to-fact if/then statements, along with the imperfect subjunctive (which we have not seen yet). In this lesson, you will see the imperfect subjuntive (in the “if” statement), but will only have to generate “then” statements using el condicional.

    · Si yo tuviera más dinero, viajaría a Sudamérica mañana. ________

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    Actividad 24

    If/then statements. The imperfect subjunctive “if” statements are provided for you below. To complete the “then” statement, fill in the blank using the correct form of el condicional. If a question is posed, respond to the question using el condicional again.

    1. Si tú no fueras a tantas fiestas, ________ (sacar) buenas notas.

    2. Si mi esposo y yo no trabajáramos tanto, ________ (divertirse) más.

    3. Si mi madre comiera menos e hiciera más ejercicio, ________(ser) más delgada.

    4. Si tú pudieras mudarte a otra cuidad mañana, ¿adónde ________ (mudarse)? ________

    5. Si tú fueras a tu restaurante favorito ahora mismo, ¿qué ________(pedir)? ________

    6. Si tú pudieras aprender a hablar otra lengua extranjera, ¿qué ________ (hablar)? ________

    7. Si solo pudieras comer una sola comida durante un año, ¿qué ________ (comer)? ________

    8. Si alguien te diera un regalo, ¿qué ________ (querer) recibir? ________

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    Actividad 25

    Si yo tuviera un millón de dólares... Use el condicional to say five things you would do if you won a million dollars in the lottery. Then, interview a classmate. Be prepared to discuss as a class. Video

    1. ________

    2.________

    3.________

    4.________

    5.________

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    Actividad 26

    Would you rather…. First, highlight which option you would prefer for each scenario. Then, take turns asking and answering the questions with a partner using el condicional. If you finish faster than the rest of the class, discuss the reasons why in Spanish. Video

    ¿Preferirías poder volar -o- poder teletransportar?
    ¿Preferirías viajar a España -o- viajar a México?
    ¿Preferirías leer una novela -o- leer el periódico?
    ¿Preferirías ser famos@ -o- vivir con una tribu en el Amazonas?
    ¿Preferirías asisitir a Harvard -o- asistir a Hogwarts?
    ¿Preferirías poder hablar cinco lenguas -o- poder hablar con los animales?
    ¿Preferirías beber leche podrida (spoiled) -o- beber leche de camello?
    ¿Preferirías tener espinacas entre los dientes -o- tener un moco (booger) visible en la nariz?
    ¿Preferirías tener cuatro perros -o- tener tres gatos?

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    This page titled 15.12: The Conditional is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ana Gómez de Torres and Claudia Díaz via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.