Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Clauses requiring the imperfect subjunctive

This is used when the condition is not fulfilled in present time, e.g. ‘If I

had money(but I haven’t) I would buy it’. The conditional tense is used in

the main clause:

Estaría más a gusto si hiciera mejor tiempo.

I would be happier if the weather was better.

Si la casa fuera más grande podríamos tener invitados.

If the house were bigger we could have friends to stay.

The imperfect subjunctive is also used in conditional clauses that, without

actually being contrary to fact, refer to future events considered unlikely

or improbable:

¿Qué harías si te ofrecieran el puesto?

What would you do if they offered you the job?

Notes:

1 On occasions the English conditional does not contain the word ‘if’, whereas the

Spanish equivalent usually would: Si se hubiera comportado de la manera

apropiada, se le habría admitido‘Had he behaved properly (i.e. if he had behaved

properly), he would have been admitted’.

2 It is possible to use the-ra form (but not the -se form) of the pluperfect subjunc-

tive in the main clause of conditional sentences: Si hubieran tenido más cuidado

no hubiera pasado lo que pasó‘If they had been more careful what did happen

wouldn’t have happened’.

3 In speech the conditional tense in a main clause is often replaced by the imper-

fect tense: Pues yo me iba (si pudiera)‘Well I would go (if I could)’.

13.1.2.2

13.1.2.1

13.1.2^1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

13

Conditional
clauses

162

Conditional clauses – points to remember

1 The onlytenses of the subjunctive which can be used in the si-

clause are the imperfect and the pluperfect.

2 The -raform of the imperfect subjunctive is nowadays

commoner than the -seform.

3 A present or perfect subjunctive after siis almost certain to be

incorrect. The one rare exception is in formal style, primarily in