In Spanish, El Condicional Simple is used to express something hypothetical, not real, that might happen in the present or the future.
This use happens generally in two different contexts:
El Condicional Simple when expressing a wish/intention
In the examples above the speaker is expressing a wish that something will happen or an intention either at the moment of speaking or in the future.
El Condicional Simple when suggesting or giving advice
Yo que tú, me pondría ese bikini tan bonito. El bañador es más feo.If I were you, I'd wear that pretty bikini. The swimming costume is uglier.
Yo que ella, rompería con Eduardo. No la trata muy bien.If I were her, I'd break up with Eduardo. He doesn't treat her very well.
It is common to find "Yo que tú...", "Yo que él..." (If I were you..., If I were him...) in the first part of the sentence, to direct the suggestion/advice to someone specific. This phrase is equivalent to the conditional phrase "Si yo fuera tú...", "Si yo fuera él..." (If I were you..., If I were him...).
Reminder:
Verbs conjugated in the conditional tense take the written accent [´] on the -í of the endings, e.g. compraría, comprarías, compraría, compraríamos, compraríais, comprarían.
See also:
Conjugate regular verbs in the conditional in Spanish (El Condicional Simple)
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
