Instruction: Spanish Conditional Tense – Irregular

Example Sentences:

• Ellos tendrían éxito con más esfuerzo. (They would have success with more effort.)
• Yo tendría más dinero si *trabajara más horas. (I would have more money if I worked more hours.)
  • *You will learn this tense (past subjunctive) in future lessons

List of Irregular Verbs and Their Stems

Here is a list of common irregular verbs in the conditional tense, along with their stems and example sentences (Notice that they are the same stems as the future tense):

1. Decir (to say, to tell) – dir-

• Yo diría la verdad si *fuera necesario. (I would tell the truth if it were necessary.)
• Nosotros diríamos algo, pero es un secreto. (We would say something, but it’s a secret.)

2. Hacer (to do, to make) – har-

• Yo haría mi tarea si *tuviera tiempo. (I would do my homework if I had time.)
• Ellos harían una fiesta, pero no pueden. (They would throw a party, but they can’t.)

3. Poder (to be able to) – podr-

• Yo podría ayudarte si lo *supiera. (I could help you if I knew how.)
• Nosotros podríamos salir, pero está lloviendo. (We could go out, but it’s raining.)

4. Poner (to put, to place) – pondr-

• Yo pondría la mesa, pero ya está hecha. (I would set the table, but it’s already done.)
• Ellos pondrían más esfuerzo si *supieran que es importante. (They would put in more effort if they knew it was important.)

5. Venir (to come) – vendr-

• Yo vendría a la fiesta, pero tengo otro compromiso. (I would come to the party, but I have another commitment.)
• Nosotros vendríamos mañana, pero el coche está en el taller. (We would come tomorrow, but the car is in the shop.)

6. Salir (to leave, to go out) – saldr-

• Yo saldría esta noche, pero estoy cansado. (I would go out tonight, but I’m tired.)
• Ellos saldrían más temprano si no *tuvieran tanto trabajo. (They would leave earlier if they didn’t have so much work.)

7. Saber (to know) – sabr-

• Yo sabría la respuesta si *hubiera estudiado. (I would know the answer if I had studied.)
• Ellos sabrían qué hacer en esa situación. (They would know what to do in that situation.)

8. Querer (to want) – querr-

• Yo querría ir al cine, pero tengo que trabajar. (I would want to go to the movies, but I have to work.)
• Nosotros querríamos pasar más tiempo contigo. (We would want to spend more time with you.)

9. Haber (to have – auxiliary verb) – habr-

• Habría más tiempo para estudiar si *comenzáramos temprano. (There would be more time to study if we started early.)
• No habría problemas si todos *colaboraran. (There wouldn’t be any problems if everyone cooperated.)

10. Caber (to fit) – cabr-

• Ese coche no cabría en el garaje. (That car would not fit in the garage.)
• Nosotros cabríamos todos en un taxi grande. (We would all fit in a large taxi.)

11. Valer (to be worth) – valdr-

• Ese reloj valdría mucho dinero si *fuera auténtico. (That watch would be worth a lot of money if it were authentic.)
• Las entradas valdrían más si *fueran para un concierto popular. (The tickets would be worth more if they were for a popular concert.)

12. Tener (to have) – tendr-

• Yo tendría más paciencia si la situación *fuera diferente. (I would have more patience if the situation were different.)
• Ellos tendrían más amigos si *fueran más sociables. (They would have more friends if they were more sociable.) 

*You will learn this tense (past subjunctive) in a future lesson.

Conclusion

Irregular verbs in the conditional tense are commonly used in everyday Spanish, and their unique stems need to be memorized. By practicing these irregular forms and understanding their usage, you’ll be able to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future possibilities from a past perspective with confidence. Keep practicing to master these irregular verbs and become more fluent in using the conditional tense!