The Future and The Conditional

E. Siler

A New Tense: The Future

• Less used than most tenses in academic Spanish.

• Like English there are multiple ways of expressing the future.

English

• There is no real future “tense” in English . . .• But there are multiple ways of expressing the

future.

The Present to the Future

• Simple present tense verbs, used with very specific adverbials, can express the future.– I leave tomorrow at 8 a.m

• Present progressive (present tense of BE + the –ing participle) constructions, usually also used with specific adverbials, can also express the future.– I am leaving (tomorrow at 8 a.m.)

• Present progressive of “to go” with an infinitive.– I am going to leave (tomorrow at 8 a.m).

The Future with a Modal

• English has a category of fixed verbs called modals.

• These never change for number. • Many of them, used with a simple verb, can

express the future.• Examples of modals: can/could; will/shall;

may/might . . • The most common future expressing modal is

will.

Examples

• I may leave (tomorrow).• I will leave (tomorrow).• I should leave (tomorrow).• I can leave (tomorrow).• I could leave (to morrow).

The Future in Spanish

• There are also many ways to express the future in Spanish.

• Many of these parallel ways expressed in English.

The Present to the Future

• Simple present tense used with an adverbial.– Salgo mañana a las ocho. (I leave tomorrow at 8).

• A simple present tense version of “ir” (to go) followed by the preposition “a” and an infinitive.

Person Singular Plural

First Yo voy a hablar Nosotros/vamos a hablar

Second Tú vas a hablar/ Usted va a hablar

Ustedes van a hablar

Third Él/Ella va a hablar Ellos/Ellas van a hablar

A Major Difference

• Spanish has no modals as English does. • Instead, to make the future, the infinitive is

used, and endings are added.• The only good news is this: the endings are

the same regardless of the category of infinitive (-ar, -ir, and –er).

• Most verbs are regular (meaning that the infinitive does not change before adding the endings) but there are a few irregulars.

The endings

• Any Infinitive + These endings (NOTE ACCENTS!!!)

Person Singular PluralFirst Yo hablaré Nosotros/nosotras

hablaremosSecond Tu hablarás/Usted

hablaráUstedes hablarán

Third Él/Ella hablará Ellos/ellas hablarán

The irregulars

• There are a few infinitives that change slightly before adding the future endings.

• These are listed on p. 75 of the grammar. • Sadly, most of them are the high frequency

verbs.• So they need to be learned cold.

The Conditional

• English expresses the idea of condition with the modal “would” and the simple form of the verb.

• Because a modal is used, there is no number agreement.

Person Singular Plural

First I would know We would know

Second You would know You would know

Third He/she/it would know

They would know

Spanish

• The conditional in Spanish is formed by a set of regular endings added to the infinitive.

• The basic formation pattern is the same as the future --- it’s just that the endings are different.

Example

• Infinitive + These Endings (NOTE ACCENTS!!!)

Person Singular Plural

First Yo hablaría Nosotros/nosotras hablaríamos

Second Tú hablarías/ Usted hablaría

Ustedes hablarían

Third Él/ella hablaría Ellos/Ellas hablarían

Important Notes

• Note that the actual conditional ENDINGS are practically identical to the –er/ir endings of the imperfect.

• But the imperfect is formed by DROPPING the –er/ar/ir ending and adding endings.

• The conditional is formed by keeping the infinitive intact and ADDING the endings.

CONTRAST

• Yo comía/ yo comería • I was eating/ I would eat• Juan vivía/ Juan viviría• Juan was living/ Juan would live. . .

Another Note

• The basic formation pattern of the conditional and the future are the same --- but the endings are different.

• The conditional also has a few irregular infinitive bases.

• The irregular bases are the same in the conditional and the future. See p. 75/76 of the grammar for more on this.

Perfects – A Review

• Perfects in English (as previously studied) are formed by a form of “have” and the past participle.

• Depending on the tense of “have” the present perfect or the past perfect are formed.– I have studied Spanish for ten years.– I had studied Spanish for ten years.

Spanish

• As previously studied, Spanish can form the present and past perfects with a form of “haber” and an past participle that ends in (usually) –ado/ido.– Yo he hablado– Yo había hablado

Perfects in the Future

• In English: Will + have + past participle.• Example: I will have studied for ten years.• In Spanish: Future of “haber” + past

participle. Note: the infinitive root of “haber” is irregular.

Person Singular Plural

First Yo habré hablado Nosotros/as habremos hablado

Second Tú habrás hablado/usted habrá hablado

Ustedes habrán hablado

Third Él/Ella habrá hablado

Ellos/Ellas habrán hablado

Perfects with the Conditional

• In English: Would have + past participle• Example: I would have bought that book.• In Spanish: Conditional of “haber” + past

participle. Person Singular Plural

First Yo habría comprado. .

Nosotros/as habríamos comprado

Second Tú habrías comprado/ Usted habría comprado

Ustedes habrían comprado

Third Él/Ella habría comprado

Ellos/Ellas habrían comprado