Mastering the Future and Conditional in Spanish
Welcome to your complete revision guide for expressing the future and hypothetical ideas in Spanish! To score top marks across your Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Spanish exams (Paper 1 Speaking, Paper 2 Listening, Paper 3 Reading, and Paper 4 Writing), you need to show the examiner that you can move comfortably across different time frames. Being able to describe what you are going to do, what you will do, and what you would do is one of the quickest ways to elevate your language grade.
In this guide, we will break down three essential verb structures step-by-step:
1. The Periphrastic Future (ir a + infinitive) — "I am going to study"
2. The Inflectional Future (Simple Future) — "I will study"
3. The Conditional Tense — "I would study"
Don't worry if verb tenses sometimes feel overwhelming. Once you see the patterns, you will find that Spanish future and conditional forms are actually among the most regular and predictable tenses in the entire language!
---1. The Periphrastic Future (ir a + Infinitive)
What is it and when do we use it?
The periphrastic future (often called the near future or immediate future) is used to talk about planned actions or events that are going to happen. It works just like the English phrase "going to + verb".
The Formula
To build this tense, you need a 3-part recipe:
[Present tense of ir] + a + [Infinitive verb]
Think of it as a train with three carriages: you must never leave out the middle carriage (the a)!
Step 1: Conjugate the verb ir (to go) in the present tense
• yo voy (I go / I am going)
• tú vas (you go [singular informal])
• él / ella / usted va (he / she goes; you go [singular formal])
• nosotros / nosotras vamos (we go)
• vosotros / vosotras vais (you go [plural informal])
• ellos / ellas / ustedes van (they go; you go [plural formal])
Step 2: Add a
Always insert the letter a directly after the conjugated form of ir.
Step 3: Add the Infinitive
The infinitive is the unconjugated "dictionary" form of the verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir.
Examples in Action
• Voy a estudiar medicina en la universidad. (I am going to study medicine at university.)
• ¿Vas a salir con tus amigos este fin de semana? (Are you going to go out with your friends this weekend?)
• Vamos a comer en un restaurante mexicano. (We are going to eat in a Mexican restaurant.)
• Van a viajar a España el próximo verano. (They are going to travel to Spain next summer.)
Special Case: Reflexive Verbs
When using reflexive verbs (such as levantarse - to get up), you have two correct choices for where to place the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se):
Option A: Put the pronoun before the verb ir:
• Me voy a levantar temprano. (I am going to get up early.)
Option B: Attach the pronoun directly to the end of the infinitive:
• Voy a levantarme temprano. (I am going to get up early.)
Both options mean the exact same thing and are equally correct in your GCSE exams.
Key Takeaway for Periphrastic Future: Always remember the three parts: voy / vas / va / vamos / vais / van + a + infinitive. Never forget the a!
---2. The Inflectional Future (Simple Future)
What is it and when do we use it?
The inflectional future (often referred to as the simple future) translates to "will" in English (e.g., "I will speak", "she will visit"). It is formed by adding endings directly onto the verb stem.
The Big Rule: Keep the Infinitive Whole!
For regular verbs, you do not chop off the -ar, -er, or -ir. Instead, you take the entire infinitive and attach the future ending to the very end of it!
Even better news: all three verb families (-ar, -er, -ir) use the exact same endings!
The Regular Future Endings
• yo: -é
• tú: -ás
• él / ella / usted: -á
• nosotros / nosotras: -emos (Notice: no accent on this one!)
• vosotros / vosotras: -éis
• ellos / ellas / ustedes: -án
Regular Conjugation Example: hablar (to speak)
• yo hablar + é = hablaré (I will speak)
• tú hablar + ás = hablarás (you will speak)
• él / ella hablar + á = hablará (he / she will speak)
• nosotros hablar + emos = hablaremos (we will speak)
• vosotros hablar + éis = hablaréis (you all will speak)
• ellos / ellas hablar + án = hablarán (they will speak)
This works identically for -er and -ir verbs:
• comer \(\rightarrow\) comeré, comerás, comerá, comeremos, comeréis, comerán (I will eat, you will eat, etc.)
• vivir \(\rightarrow\) viviré, vivirás, vivirá, viviremos, viviréis, vivirán (I will live, you will live, etc.)
Irregular Stems in the Future Tense
Some verbs do not use their full infinitive. Instead, they change their stem to a special irregular form. However, the endings attached to them are still the exact same regular endings!
Here are the 10 essential irregular stems you must know for Edexcel GCSE:
• hacer (to do/make) \(\rightarrow\) stem: har- (e.g., haré = I will do)
• tener (to have) \(\rightarrow\) stem: tendr- (e.g., tendré = I will have)
• poner (to put) \(\rightarrow\) stem: pondr- (e.g., pondré = I will put)
• salir (to go out/leave) \(\rightarrow\) stem: saldr- (e.g., saldré = I will go out)
• venir (to come) \(\rightarrow\) stem: vendr- (e.g., vendré = I will come)
• poder (to be able / can) \(\rightarrow\) stem: podr- (e.g., podré = I will be able to)
• decir (to say/tell) \(\rightarrow\) stem: dir- (e.g., diré = I will say)
• querer (to want/love) \(\rightarrow\) stem: querr- (e.g., querré = I will want)
• saber (to know) \(\rightarrow\) stem: sabr- (e.g., sabré = I will know)
• haber (impersonal "there is/are") \(\rightarrow\) stem: habr- (e.g., habrá = there will be)
Memory Trick: Notice that tener, poner, salir, and venir all insert a d into their stem (tendr-, pondr-, saldr-, vendr-). Grouping them together makes them much easier to remember!
Key Takeaway for Inflectional Future: Add the future endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) directly to the full infinitive, unless the verb has an irregular stem!
---3. The Conditional Tense
What is it and when do we use it?
The conditional tense corresponds to "would + verb" in English (e.g., "I would live", "we would go"). It is widely used in GCSE Spanish for:
• Making polite requests (e.g., ¿Podrías ayudarme? — Could you help me?)
• Expressing wishes and desires (e.g., Me gustaría visitar Madrid — I would like to visit Madrid)
• Talking about hypothetical scenarios and dreams (e.g., Si tuviera dinero, compraría una casa grande — If I had money, I would buy a big house [Higher Tier si clause])
The Formula for the Conditional
Just like the inflectional future, the conditional uses the entire infinitive (or the irregular stem) plus a special set of endings. Again, -ar, -er, and -ir verbs share the exact same endings!
The Regular Conditional Endings
Every single conditional ending starts with -í and carries a written accent mark (tilde):
• yo: -ía
• tú: -ías
• él / ella / usted: -ía
• nosotros / nosotras: -íamos
• vosotros / vosotras: -íais
• ellos / ellas / ustedes: -ían
Regular Conjugation Examples
• hablar \(\rightarrow\) hablaría, hablarías, hablaría, hablaríamos, hablaríais, hablarían (I would speak, etc.)
• comer \(\rightarrow\) comería, comerías, comería, comeríamos, comeríais, comerían (I would eat, etc.)
• vivir \(\rightarrow\) viviría, vivirías, viviría, viviríamos, viviríais, vivirían (I would live, etc.)
Irregular Verbs in the Conditional
Here is a huge shortcut: The conditional tense uses the EXACT same irregular stems as the inflectional future!
• hacer \(\rightarrow\) haría, harías, haría, haríamos, haríais, harían (I would do, etc.)
• tener \(\rightarrow\) tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían (I would have, etc.)
• poner \(\rightarrow\) pondría (I would put)
• salir \(\rightarrow\) saldría (I would go out)
• decir \(\rightarrow\) diría (I would say)
• poder \(\rightarrow\) podría (I would be able to / I could)
• haber \(\rightarrow\) habría (there would be)
Golden GCSE Phrase: Me gustaría
One of the most useful structures for your Speaking and Writing papers is me gustaría + infinitive (I would like to...):
• Me gustaría trabajar como médico en el futuro. (I would like to work as a doctor in the future.)
• Nos gustaría viajar por todo el mundo. (We would like to travel all over the world.)
Key Takeaway for the Conditional: Take the whole infinitive (or irregular stem) and add the -ía endings. Every single form has an accent on the í!
---4. Side-by-Side Comparison
To see how these three tenses interact, look at how the verb trabajar (to work) and the irregular verb hacer (to do) change across all three structures:
Regular Verb: trabajar (I / yo form)
• Periphrastic Future: Voy a trabajar = I am going to work
• Inflectional Future: Trabajaré = I will work
• Conditional: Trabajaría = I would work
Irregular Verb: hacer (We / nosotros form)
• Periphrastic Future: Vamos a hacer = We are going to do
• Inflectional Future: Haremos = We will do
• Conditional: Haríamos = We would do
5. Common Pitfalls and Examiner Warnings
Pearson Edexcel examiner reports frequently highlight a few recurring traps. Make sure you avoid them:
1. Dropping the "a" in the Near Future
• Incorrect: Voy visitar a mis abuelos.
• Correct: Voy a visitar a mis abuelos.
Rule: Ir + infinitive is impossible without a in the middle.
2. Chopping off the Infinitive Ending
• Incorrect: Hablé con él mañana (Thinking hablé is future, when it is actually preterite past!)
• Correct: Hablaré con él mañana. (I will speak with him tomorrow.)
Rule: Do not remove -ar, -er, -ir when forming the regular simple future or conditional. Keep the entire infinitive intact: hablar + é = hablaré.
3. Forgetting Written Accents (Tildes)
• In the future tense, 5 out of the 6 endings require an accent: -é, -ás, -á, -éis, -án (only -emos has no accent). Missing an accent can change the meaning or cost you accuracy marks!
• In the conditional tense, all 6 endings have an accent on the letter í: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
4. Confusing the Conditional with the Imperfect Tense
Because regular -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect past tense also end in -ía, students sometimes mix them up:
• Comía (Stem com- + ía) = I used to eat / I was eating (Imperfect Past)
• Comería (Whole infinitive comer + ía) = I would eat (Conditional)
Always look at what comes before the -ía: if the full infinitive (or irregular future stem) is there, it is the conditional!
5. Regularising Irregular Stems
• Incorrect: Haceré, teneré, pondría no... ponería
• Correct: Haré, tendré, pondría.
Rule: Make sure to memorise the 10 irregular stems listed above; they apply to both the simple future and conditional.
6. Quick Revision Checklist
Before your exam, test yourself on these core facts:
• Can you conjugate ir in the present tense from memory (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van)?
• Do you remember to add a between ir and the infinitive?
• Do you know the future endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) and that they attach to the whole infinitive?
• Can you list the irregular stems for hacer (har-), tener (tendr-), poder (podr-), and salir (saldr-)?
• Do you remember that every conditional ending has a written accent on the í (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían)?
• Can you use me gustaría + infinitive to express an ambition or preference in your speaking and writing tests?