Future and Conditional Tenses
Future and Conditional Tenses
Discussing plans and hypothetical situations is essential for achieving higher grades.
The Near Future (Futuro Próximo)
The simplest way to express future plans: ir (present) + a + infinitive.
- Voy a estudiar medicina. — I am going to study medicine.
- Vamos a visitar Barcelona. — We are going to visit Barcelona.
- Mi hermano va a jugar al fútbol. — My brother is going to play football.
The Simple Future (Futuro Simple)
Use the whole infinitive as the stem and add endings (same for all three verb groups):
| Subject | Ending | Example: hablar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablaré |
| tú | -ás | hablarás |
| él/ella | -á | hablará |
| nosotros | -emos | hablaremos |
| vosotros | -éis | hablaréis |
| ellos | -án | hablarán |
- Estudiaré en la universidad. — I will study at university.
- Viviremos en España. — We will live in Spain.
Irregular Future Stems
| Verb | Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tener | tendr- | tendré |
| poder | podr- | podré |
| hacer | har- | haré |
| salir | saldr- | saldré |
| poner | pondr- | pondré |
| venir | vendr- | vendré |
| decir | dir- | diré |
| haber | habr- | habrá |
| querer | querr- | querré |
| saber | sabr- | sabré |
- Tendré mi propio piso. — I will have my own flat.
- Haré un viaje por Sudamérica. — I will take a trip around South America.
The Conditional
Same irregular stems as the future, but with imperfect -ER/-IR endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían):
- Me gustaría viajar por el mundo. — I would like to travel the world.
- Sería increíble. — It would be incredible.
- Podría trabajar en el extranjero. — I could work abroad.
- Viviría en la playa. — I would live on the beach.
Si (If) Clauses — Grade 8/9
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| Si + present → future | Si tengo tiempo, iré al gimnasio. — If I have time, I will go to the gym. |
| Si + imperfect subjunctive → conditional | Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por Asia. — If I had money, I would travel around Asia. |
The imperfect subjunctive is very advanced — at GCSE, even attempting one si-clause with it is impressive.
Useful Expressions
- Cuando sea mayor... — When I am older... (subjunctive after cuando + future reference)
- Espero + infinitive — I hope to...
- Tengo la intención de — I intend to...
- Mi sueño sería — My dream would be...
- Dentro de diez años — In ten years' time...
Model Sentences
- En el futuro, quiero ser ingeniera porque me encantan las matemáticas y la tecnología. — In the future, I want to be an engineer because I love maths and technology.
- Si pudiera, haría una año sabático antes de ir a la universidad. — If I could, I would take a gap year before going to university.
- Espero sacar buenas notas para poder estudiar medicina. — I hope to get good grades so I can study medicine.
Exam Tips
- The near future is the safest option for speaking — easy to form and always correct.
- The simple future scores higher in writing — it shows a different tense formation.
- The conditional is ideal for opinions and hypothetical answers: Sería mejor si... (It would be better if...).
- In translations, watch for "would" (conditional) vs "will" (future) — students often confuse them.
- Me gustaría (I would like) is the single most useful conditional form — use it freely in speaking and writing.