There are two different ways of considering the conditional. One considers the conditional as an another tense of the indicative mood, while the other considers the conditional as a mood itself. Both are currently accepted as valid.
The general idea of the conditional is to describe hypothetical or uncertain events that are contingent on another set of circumstances.
Me comería un trozo más de pastel si no me doliera la barriga.
I would eat another piece of cake if my tummy didn't hurt.
Hablaríamos con el hermano de Pablo si no fuera tan antipático.
We would talk to Pablo's brother if he wasn't that rude.
The conditional, as well as the future, is the tense that is easier to conjugate. It is formed with the infinitive of the verb plus the endings ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían.
Note: It's very unusual to find an irregular verb of the first conjugation (-AR) in the conditional
Although the conjugation of the verb is easy, there are, like in the other tenses, irregular verbs. Here are the most common irregular verbs in the conditional:
1.- change the vowel in the end of the infinitive for a "d"
Verbs that take the same irregularity: tener valer, salir, venir, and other verbs that contain poner, tener, or venir such as componer, mantener, convenir, etc.
2.- drop the vowel in the end of the infinitive
Verbs that take the same irregularity: saber, caber, poder and haber
3.- drop a vowel and a consonant
Verbs that take the same irregularity: decir, and satisfacer
The general idea of the conditional is to describe hypothetical or uncertain events that are contingent on another set of circumstances.
Me comería un trozo más de pastel si no me doliera la barriga.
I would eat another piece of cake if my tummy didn't hurt.
Hablaríamos con el hermano de Pablo si no fuera tan antipático.
We would talk to Pablo's brother if he wasn't that rude.
The conditional, as well as the future, is the tense that is easier to conjugate. It is formed with the infinitive of the verb plus the endings ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían.
Note: It's very unusual to find an irregular verb of the first conjugation (-AR) in the conditional
| Cantar | Beber | Vivir | |
| Yo | cantar-ía | beber-ía | vivir-ía |
| Tú | cantar-ías | beber-ías | vivir-ías |
| Él/Ella | cantar-ía | beber-ía | vivir-ía |
| Nosotros | cantar-íamos | beber-íamos | vivir-íamos |
| Ellos/Ellas | cantar-ían | beber-ían | vivir-ían |
Although the conjugation of the verb is easy, there are, like in the other tenses, irregular verbs. Here are the most common irregular verbs in the conditional:
1.- change the vowel in the end of the infinitive for a "d"
| Poner | |
| Yo | pondr-ía |
| Tú | pondr-ías |
| Él/Ella | pondr-ía |
| Nosotros | pondr-íamos |
| Ellos/Ellas | pondr-ían |
Verbs that take the same irregularity: tener valer, salir, venir, and other verbs that contain poner, tener, or venir such as componer, mantener, convenir, etc.
2.- drop the vowel in the end of the infinitive
| Querer | |
| Yo | querr-ía |
| Tú | querr-ías |
| Él/Ella | querr-ía |
| Nosotros | querr-íamos |
| Ellos/Ellas | querr-ían |
Verbs that take the same irregularity: saber, caber, poder and haber
3.- drop a vowel and a consonant
| Hacer | |
| Yo | har-ía |
| Tú | har-ías |
| Él/Ella | har-ía |
| Nosotros | har-íamos |
| Ellos/Ellas | har-ían |
Verbs that take the same irregularity: decir, and satisfacer