CSG091

80

Complete Spanish Grammar

The Conditional in Contrary-to-Fact If-Clauses

The conditional is used in other hypothetical situations. As its name suggests, the conditional is linked to explicit or implicit conditions for an action or event to be completed, if the conditions can be met. Use the conditional:

• to express hypothetical situations in conditional clauses.

Si pudiera, compraria este brazalete    Ifl could, I would buy this pearl bracelet.

de perlas.

The speaker is talking about his or her wish to buy the pearl bracelet using the conditional form compraria. It is unlikely that this wish will become a reality. This type of sentence is known as contrary-to-fact because the actions are hypothetical, not real. Notę that the tense appearing in the if-clause is the past subjunctive: si pudiera. The unlikely outcome appears in the result clau.se, where you find the conditional. To study eontrary-to-fact sentences, you may also review the unit on the subjunctive (Unit 13).

Notę: The imperfect tense of deber in the expression deber de plus an infinitive is also used to communicate probability in the past.

Debian de ser las ocho cuando llegó    It was probably eight oclock when Carmen

Carmen.    arrwed.

Remember that in English, would is also used to express habitual actions in the past. When would is used in the sense of used to, use the imperfect indicative in Spanish.

Los chicos iban a la playa todos los    The kids would go to the beach euery summer.

veranos.

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ejercicio

La salud. Traduce. Usa el vocabulario util. Use the conditional or the futurę as needed in each situation.

Jack would like to be healthier. He has a plan: he will eat less and he will exercise.

He could run and lift weights. Jack would lose a few pounds. And he would improve his health. The doctor said he would sleep better, too. Jack decided he would go to the gym. We think Jack will follow his plan. I wonder how long Jack spent at the gym today. Tim thinks Jack will not exercise every day. Of course Tim would help Jack. Jack will lift fifty pounds tomorrow. I wonder how many pounds Jack wants to lose. If jack wants to go to the gym tomorrow, I will go too.

gym health healthy pound to exercise

el gimnasio la salud saludable la libra

hacer ejercicio to follow to improve to lift

to lift weights

seguir mejorar levantar levantar pesas; hacer culturismo