AP Spanish Future and Conditional: Practice Test & Review
The future and the conditional are the two tenses Spanish uses to talk about events outside the present moment. The future reports what will happen: Mañana viajaré a Madrid. The conditional reports what would happen under a condition, or what was going to happen in the past: Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. Both share the same set of irregular stems, and both are tested in reading passages, in the argumentative essay, and in the email reply, where a wrong tense changes the meaning of the sentence.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the contrast, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. Every question is built around a cue that forces exactly one tense: a future time marker, a conditional structure with si, a polite request, or a reported future in the past. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full grammar guide.
Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.
Grammar Guide
This guide explains the future and the conditional. The quiz above drills the contrast. The guide is for review and reference.
The Rule
The future reports what will happen. The conditional reports what would happen under a condition, what was going to happen in the past, or a polite request. Both tenses share the same set of irregular stems. The choice depends on the context: a future time marker or a statement about the future takes the future; a si clause with the imperfect subjunctive, a reported future in the past, or a polite request takes the conditional.
Future: Regular and Irregular Stems
| Verb | Stem | Yo Form |
|---|---|---|
| hablar (regular) | hablar- | hablaré |
| comer (regular) | comer- | comeré |
| vivir (regular) | vivir- | viviré |
| tener | tendr- | tendré |
| poder | podr- | podré |
| querer | querr- | querré |
| saber | sabr- | sabré |
| decir | dir- | diré |
| hacer | har- | haré |
| salir | saldr- | saldré |
| venir | vendr- | vendré |
| poner | pondr- | pondré |
| ir | ir- | iré |
Conditional: Regular and Irregular Stems
| Verb | Stem | Yo Form |
|---|---|---|
| hablar (regular) | hablar- | hablaría |
| comer (regular) | comer- | comería |
| vivir (regular) | vivir- | viviría |
| tener | tendr- | tendría |
| poder | podr- | podría |
| querer | querr- | querría |
| saber | sabr- | sabría |
| decir | dir- | diría |
| hacer | har- | haría |
| salir | saldr- | saldría |
| venir | vendr- | vendría |
| poner | pondr- | pondría |
| ir | ir- | iría |
Uses of the Future
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Future action | Mañana viajaré a Madrid. | Tomorrow I will travel to Madrid. |
| Prediction | Lloverá mañana. | It will rain tomorrow. |
| Promise | Te llamaré esta noche. | I will call you tonight. |
| Probability in the present | Serán las tres. | It is probably three o’clock. |
Uses of the Conditional
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical situation | Si tuviera dinero, viajaría. | If I had money, I would travel. |
| Polite request | ¿Podría ayudarme? | Could you help me? |
| Reported future in the past | Dijo que vendría. | He said he would come. |
| Probability in the past | Serían las tres cuando llegó. | It was probably three o’clock when he arrived. |
Fixed Expressions
| Expression | Meaning | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| a partir de mañana | starting tomorrow | Future |
| el año que viene | next year | Future |
| si + imperfect subjunctive | if + past subjunctive | Conditional in the main clause |
| me gustaría | I would like | Conditional as a polite wish |
| ¿podría…? | could you…? | Conditional as a polite request |
Common Mistakes
1. Conditional after a future time marker.
✗ Mañana viajaría a Madrid.
✓ Mañana viajaré a Madrid.
Mañana marks a future action, so the future is required.
2. Future after si + imperfect subjunctive.
✗ Si tuviera dinero, viajaré.
✓ Si tuviera dinero, viajaría.
The imperfect subjunctive in the si clause forces the conditional in the main clause.
3. Regular stem on an irregular verb.
✗ Mañana teneré la respuesta.
✓ Mañana tendré la respuesta.
Tener has an irregular future stem (tendr-). The regular form teneré is not a word.
4. Future for a reported future in the past.
✗ Dijo que vendrá.
✓ Dijo que vendría.
A main verb in the past (dijo) forces the conditional in the reported clause.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a future time marker? | Mañana, la próxima semana, el año que viene | Future |
| Is it a prediction, promise, or probability about the future? | Yes | Future |
| Is there a si clause with the imperfect subjunctive? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is it a polite request or wish? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is it a reported future after a past main verb? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is the verb tener, poder, querer, saber, decir, hacer, salir, venir, poner, or ir? | Yes | Use the irregular stem |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Mañana viajaré a Madrid.
Tomorrow I will travel to Madrid.
A future time marker (mañana) forces the future viajaré.
Si tuviera dinero, viajaría a Madrid.
If I had money, I would travel to Madrid.
The si + imperfect subjunctive structure forces the conditional viajaría.
