DELE B1 Conditional: Practice Test & Review
The Spanish conditional is one of the most tested grammar points on the DELE B1 exam. It appears in reading passages about hypothetical situations, in listening sections with polite requests, and in cloze exercises that contrast the conditional with the future. If you can’t choose between hablaría and hablaré, you’ll lose easy points.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the forms and uses, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation. Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.
Grammar Guide
The Rule
The Spanish conditional expresses what would happen under certain conditions. Regular verbs add endings to the infinitive: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. The same twelve verbs that are irregular in the future are irregular in the conditional — they use the same irregular stems.
The conditional is used for hypothetical situations, polite requests, and expressing wishes. It often appears with si clauses in the imperfect subjunctive: Si tuviera tiempo, estudiaría más.
Regular Forms
| Subject | Hablar | Comer | Vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hablaría | comería | viviría |
| Tú | hablarías | comerías | vivirías |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hablaría | comería | viviría |
| Nosotros | hablaríamos | comeríamos | viviríamos |
| Vosotros | hablaríais | comeríais | viviríais |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hablarían | comerían | vivirían |
All three conjugations share the same endings. Only the infinitive changes.
Irregular Stems
The same twelve verbs that are irregular in the future are irregular in the conditional. They use the same stems.
| Verb | Stem | Yo form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tendr- | tendría | I would have |
| poner | pondr- | pondría | I would put |
| salir | saldr- | saldría | I would leave |
| venir | vendr- | vendría | I would come |
| poder | podr- | podría | I would be able |
| querer | querr- | querría | I would want |
| saber | sabr- | sabría | I would know |
| decir | dir- | diría | I would say |
| hacer | har- | haría | I would do |
| haber | habr- | habría | I would have (auxiliary) |
| caber | cabr- | cabría | I would fit |
| valer | valdr- | valdría | I would be worth |
Decir and hacer are the two exceptions to the -dr- pattern. Decir uses dir- and hacer uses har-.
Conditional vs. Future
| Use | Form | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real future plan | Future tense | Mañana iré al médico. | Tomorrow I will go to the doctor. |
| Hypothetical situation | Conditional | Iría al médico si tuviera tiempo. | I would go to the doctor if I had time. |
| Polite request | Conditional | ¿Podrías ayudarme? | Could you help me? |
| Wish or desire | Conditional | Me gustaría viajar. | I would like to travel. |
| Probability about the past | Conditional | Serían las tres cuando llegó. | It must have been three when he arrived. |
Common Mistakes
- Using the future for a hypothetical.
✗ Iré al médico si tuviera tiempo.
✓ Iría al médico si tuviera tiempo.
Si tuviera (imperfect subjunctive) requires the conditional in the main clause. - Using the conditional for a real future plan.
✗ Mañana iría al médico.
✓ Mañana iré al médico.
A real plan uses the future tense, not the conditional. - Forgetting the accent on the conditional endings.
✗ Hablaria con él.
✓ Hablaría con él.
All conditional endings carry an accent on the í. - Using the wrong irregular stem.
✗ Hacería la tarea.
✓ Haría la tarea.
Hacer uses har-, not hacer-.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Is it a hypothetical situation? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is it a polite request? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is it a wish or desire? | Yes | Conditional |
| Is it a real future plan? | Yes | Future tense |
| Is there a si + imperfect subjunctive clause? | Yes | Conditional in the main clause |
| Does the verb have an irregular stem? | Yes | Use the irregular stem + conditional endings |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Mañana iré al médico.
Tomorrow I will go to the doctor.
- Iré = real future plan (future tense)
Iría al médico si tuviera tiempo.
I would go to the doctor if I had time.
- Iría = hypothetical (conditional) + tuviera = imperfect subjunctive
¿Podrás ayudarme mañana?
Will you be able to help me tomorrow?
- Podrás = real future question (future tense)
¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor?
Could you help me, please?
- Podrías = polite request (conditional)
