Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect expresses what "would have" happened under different circumstances.

Formation

haber (conditional) + past participle

Haber conjugation (conditional):

• yo habría
• tú habrías
• él/ella/usted habría
• nosotros/as habríamos
• vosotros/as habríais
• ellos/ellas/ustedes habrían

Examples

Habría comido. (I would have eaten.) Habrías venido. (You would have come.) Habríamos estudiado. (We would have studied.)

Uses

Past hypothetical situations: Con más tiempo, habría estudiado más. (With more time, I would have studied more.) Yo habría hecho lo mismo. (I would have done the same.)

Unfulfilled conditions: Si hubiera sabido, te habría llamado. (If I had known, I would have called you.) Si hubiera tenido dinero, lo habría comprado. (If I had had money, I would have bought it.)

Regrets: Habría ido a la fiesta. (I would have gone to the party.) No habría dicho eso. (I wouldn't have said that.)

With Irregular Participles

Habría hecho la tarea. (I would have done the homework.) Habrías visto la película. (You would have seen the movie.) Habría dicho la verdad. (I would have told the truth.)

In Conditional Sentences

Pattern: Si + pluperfect subjunctive, conditional perfect

Si hubiera estudiado, habría aprobado. (If I had studied, I would have passed.) Si hubieras venido, te habría visto. (If you had come, I would have seen you.) Si hubieran llegado antes, habrían comido. (If they had arrived earlier, they would have eaten.)

Expressing Probability in Past

Speculation about what probably happened:

Habrían llegado tarde. (They probably arrived late.) Habría sido difícil. (It probably was difficult.)

Polite Expressions (Past)

Me habría gustado ir. (I would have liked to go.) Habría preferido quedarse. (I would have preferred to stay.)

With Object Pronouns

Pronouns go before haber:

Te habría llamado. (I would have called you.) Lo habría hecho. (I would have done it.) No se lo habría dicho. (I wouldn't have told him/her.)

Negative Form

No habría ido. (I wouldn't have gone.) Nunca lo habría hecho. (I never would have done it.) No habría sido posible. (It wouldn't have been possible.)

Comparing Tenses

Conditional (would): Compraría un coche. (I would buy a car.)

Conditional Perfect (would have): Habría comprado un coche. (I would have bought a car.)

Common Expressions

Yo que tú, lo habría hecho. (If I were you, I would have done it.) ¿Qué habrías hecho tú? (What would you have done?) Habría sido mejor... (It would have been better...) Me habría encantado. (I would have loved it.)

With Reflexive Verbs

Me habría levantado más temprano. (I would have gotten up earlier.) Se habría ido. (He/She would have left.)

In Reported Speech

Dijo que habría venido. (He said he would have come.) Pensé que habrías llamado. (I thought you would have called.)

Expressing Hindsight

Debería haberlo sabido. (I should have known.) Podría haber sido peor. (It could have been worse.) Habría tenido que estudiar más. (I would have had to study more.)

Mixed Conditionals

Sometimes mix conditional perfect with other tenses:

Si hubiera estudiado, ahora sería médico. (If I had studied, I would be a doctor now.)

• Past condition (hubiera estudiado)
• Present result (sería)

Practice