Book #1, Chapter #15, Grammar, Set #1

Question 1

What is the conditional tense in Spanish?

Answer 1

The conditional tense is used what one would do or what would happen under certain circumstances.

Question 2

How do you form the conditional tense in Spanish? List the endings for all verbs in both numbers and all persons.

Answer 2

To form the conditional form of all verbs, simply add the appropriate ending to the infinitive form of the verb.

All verbs:

yo                      [inf.] + -ía
tú                       [inf.] + -ías
ud./el/ella          [inf.] + -ía
nosotros/as       [inf.] + -íamos
vosotros/as       [inf.] + íais
uds./ellos/ellas [inf.] + ían

Question 3

How do you form the conditional form of irregular verbs?

Answer 3

The endings are the same, but are added to the verb’s irregular stem:

decir dir- diría
hacer har- haría
poder podr- podría
poner pondr- pondría
haber habr- habría
querer querr- querría
saber sabr- sabría
salir saldr- saldría
tener tendr- tendría
venir vendr- vendría

Question 4

What is the special rule about using the conditional to express the future?

Answer 4

In Spanish, as in English, the conditional expresses the future in relation to a past action or state of being. In other words, the future indicates what will happen, whereas the conditional indicates what would happen.

Examples:

1) Creo que mañana hará sol. (I think it will be sunny tomorrow.)
2) Creía que hoy haría sol. (I thought it would be sunny today.)

Question 5

What is the special warning about using the conditional to express past actions?

Answer 5

The English word “would” is often used with a verb to express the conditional, but it can also mean “used to”, in the sense of past habitual action. To express past habitual actions, Spanish uses the imperfect, not the conditional.

Question 6

What is the present perfect tense? How do you form it?

Answer 6

The present perfect is used to express that actions have been completed as of the present moment, or, in other words, things that have happened. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “haber” and the past participle of a verb.

Question 7

Conjugate the verb “haber” in the present.

Answer 7

Yo he
tú has
ud./el/ella ha

nosotros/as hemos
vosotros/as habéis
uds./ellos/ellas han

Question 8

Does the pasts participle change in form when it is part of the present perfect tense?

Answer 8

No. It only changes form when used as an adjective.

Question 9

What is the special rule about the placement of haber and the past participle of a verb in a sentence.

Answer 9

In English, the auxiliary verb and the past participle are often separated. In Spanish, however, these two elements – haber and the past participle – cannot be separated by any word.

a) Siempre hemos vivido en Bolivia. (We have always lived in Bolivia.)
b) Usted nunca ha venido a mi oficina. (You have never come to my office.)

Question 10

Where are the words “no” and any object or reflexive pronouns placed in the present perfect?

Answer 10

Immediately before “haber”.

Question 11

How do you form the present perfect of “hay”?

Answer 11

Use the third-person singular of haber (“ha”) and the past participle “habido”.

Question 12

What is the past perfect tense and how is it formed?

Answer 12

The past perfect tense is used to express events that have happened in the past. To form the past perfect, use the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb “haber” with the past participle of the verb being expressed.

Question 13

Conjugate the verb “haber” in the imperfect.

Answer 13

yo había
tú habías
ud./el/ella había

nosotros/as habíamos
vosotros/as habíais
uds./ellos/ellas habían