diría/haría/podría/pondría/querría/sabría/saldría/tendría/vendría
Irregular Conditional
Some common verbs change their stem before adding the conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía...). For example, 'tener' (to have) becomes 'tendría' (I would have), not 'tenería'.
How It Works
While the regular conditional tense is formed by adding endings to the full infinitive, a group of common verbs have irregular stems. You must memorize these stems.
The most important thing to remember is that these stems are identical to the ones used for the irregular future tense. Once you know the stem, you just add the standard conditional endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
Here are the most common irregular verbs and their conditional stems:
- decir (to say) → dir- (diría, dirías...)
- hacer (to do/make) → har- (haría, harías...)
- poder (to be able to) → podr- (podría, podrías...)
- poner (to put) → pondr- (pondría, pondrías...)
- querer (to want) → querr- (querría, querrías...)
- saber (to know) → sabr- (sabría, sabrías...)
- salir (to leave) → saldr- (saldría, saldrías...)
- tener (to have) → tendr- (tendría, tendrías...)
- venir (to come) → vendr- (vendría, vendrías...)
For example, let's conjugate hacer:
- yo haría
- tú harías
- él/ella/usted haría
- nosotros/as haríamos
- vosotros/as haríais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes harían
These verbs are frequently used in the result clauses of hypothetical 'si' clauses and for making polite requests.
The conditional also gives a future from a past viewpoint, as in dijeron que vendrían, and a conjecture about the past: Tendría unos treinta años. Querría (conditional) and quería (imperfect) are different forms. Imperfect can nevertheless appear in colloquial hypothetical results or polite requests, so not every hypothetical meaning requires a conditional form.
Examples (6)
- Yo haría lo mismo en tu lugar.
I would do the same in your place.
Word by Word: I would do the same in your place.
- ¿Podrías pasarme la sal, por favor?
Could you pass me the salt, please?
Word by Word: Could you pass me the salt, please?
'Poder' becomes 'podr-' in the conditional. 'Podrías' is a very common and polite way to ask for something.
- Si tuviera dinero, tendría un coche nuevo.
If I had money, I would have a new car.
Word by Word: If I had money, I would have a car new.
- Mis amigos dijeron que vendrían a la fiesta.
My friends said they would come to the party.
Word by Word: My friends said that they would come to the party.
- ¿Qué le dirías al jefe sobre el problema?
What would you say to the boss about the problem?
Word by Word: What to him would you say to the boss about the problem?
- No sabríamos qué hacer sin tu ayuda.
We wouldn't know what to do without your help.
Word by Word: Not we would know what to do without your help.
Common Mistakes
Using the full infinitive instead of the irregular stem.
Yo hacería mi tarea más tarde.Yo haría mi tarea más tarde.Verbs like 'hacer' have an irregular stem 'har-'. You must use this special stem before adding the '-ía' ending, not the full infinitive 'hacer'.
Confusing the conditional form querría with imperfect quería.
Si pudiera, quería viajar por el mundo.Si pudiera, querría viajar por el mundo.Querría has double r and is conditional; quería has single r and is imperfect. For the intended explicit conditional form, choose querría. Imperfect forms can have colloquial hypothetical uses, so the first sentence is not rejected merely for expressing a hypothetical idea.
Forgetting the 'd' in the stem of verbs like 'poner' or 'tener'.
Yo ponría el libro en la mesa.Yo pondría el libro en la mesa.In verbs like 'poner', 'tener', 'salir', and 'venir', a 'd' is inserted into the stem ('pondr-', 'tendr-', 'saldr-', 'vendr-'). Don't forget to include it.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn irregular conditional verbs, you need to know the standard conditional endings and recognize the specific irregular stems, which are the same ones used in the irregular future tense.
- -ía/-ías/-ía/-íamos/-íais/-ían (condicional)Conditional Tense
The irregular conditional uses the same endings as the regular conditional, so learners must first be familiar with these endings.
Level 3 - diré/haré/podré/pondré/querré/sabré/saldré/tendré/vendréIrregular Future Stems
The irregular stems used in the conditional are identical to the irregular stems used in the future tense.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- si + Imperfect Subjunctive + ConditionalUnreal Si Clauses (Present)
The conditional, including these irregular forms, is common in the standard result clause of a hypothetical si sentence: Si supiera la verdad, te la diría. Other result forms can occur, including colloquial imperfect.
Level 4 - Conditional for Politeness
A primary function of the conditional is making polite requests, especially with irregular verbs like 'poder' (¿Podrías...?) and 'querer' (Querría...).
Level 3 - tuviera/hiciera/pudiera/pusiera/quisiera/supiera/dijera/vinieraCommon Imperfect Subjunctive Irregulars
These irregular imperfect subjunctive forms are often found in the 'si' clause that pairs with an irregular conditional verb in the main clause (e.g., 'Si yo pudiera, lo haría').
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice diría/haría/podría/pondría/querría/sabría/saldría/tendría/vendría in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Spanish lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
