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Grammar
ES
Español — Unreal present conditionals
To talk about situations that are improbable or contrary to present fact, Spanish uses «Si + imperfecto de subjuntivo, condicional simple»: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría.
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How it works
✓ Rule
The «si» clause takes the imperfect subjunctive and the main clause the simple conditional; the order can be reversed without a comma: Viajaría si tuviera dinero. The imperfect subjunctive has two interchangeable endings, -ra and -se: Si tuviera / tuviese tiempo, te ayudaría.
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Examples
| Conditional sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. | If I had money, I would travel. |
| Si fuera tú, no lo haría. | If I were you, I wouldn't do it. |
| Si supiera la respuesta, te la diría. | If I knew the answer, I would tell you. |
| Si viviéramos en la playa, nadaríamos cada día. | If we lived at the beach, we would swim every day. |
| Si pudieras venir, sería genial. | If you could come, it would be great. |
| Si no lloviera, saldríamos a pasear. | If it weren't raining, we would go for a walk. |
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Good to know
⚠ Note
Never use the present indicative or the conditional in the «si» clause: not «Si tendría dinero» but Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. Also do not confuse this with the real conditional Si tengo dinero, viajaré, which uses the present indicative and refers to a likely future.