Conditional Tense
Conditional tense—el tiempo conditional. The conditional refers to: (1) conditional actions which would happen in the present depending on given hypothetical action, (2) actions proposed to happen subsequent to a past reference point, (3) to express an action that probably happened in the past.
In English, the conditional tense is marked with the word "would;" if you see a "would" in a sentence where the action hasn't happened, it is a safe bet that sentence that the conditional tense will be used for the Spanish translation.
In English, the conditional tense is marked with the word "would;" if you see a "would" in a sentence where the action hasn't happened, it is a safe bet that sentence that the conditional tense will be used for the Spanish translation.
Sample Sentences:
- No sé por qué no descolgó; estaría en la oficina.
I don't know why she didn't answer the phone; she probably was at the office.
The speaker is not certain about where she was, but "at the office" is her best guess. - Le dijo que la llamaría después del concierto.
He said he would call her after the concert
The action of "calling" is proposed to happen subsequent to the past action of "telling." - Si yo ganara la lotería, te compraría un carro nuevo.
If I won the lottery, I would buy you a new car.
In this sentence, the action of "buying a new car" may occur, depending the hypothetical action "winning the lottery."
