Lesson 8: Future, Conditional & Commands

You can talk about the past and the present. This lesson completes your time machine: the future and the conditional, plus commands — how to tell people to do things, from a recipe to a polite request. The future and conditional are easy to form: they are built on the whole infinitive, not a chopped stem, and the future even doubles as the language of guessing: *¿Dónde estarán las llaves?* — Where can the keys be?

The future: infinitive + endings

Take the infinitive and add: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -án — the same endings for -ar, -er and -ir verbs.

Irregular stems (the endings never change): tener → tendr-, poder → podr-, salir → saldr-, poner → pondr-, venir → vendr-, hacer → har-, decir → dir-, saber → sabr-, querer → querr-, haber → habr-. So: *tendré* (I will have), *hará* (he will do), *dirán* (they will say). The future also expresses probability or wonderment in the present: *Serán las cinco* — It must be five o'clock. *Tendrá unos treinta años* — She's probably about thirty.

The conditional: infinitive + ía-endings

Same stems, different endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían. *Hablaría* = I would speak. Uses: polite wishes (*Querría un café* — I would like a coffee), advice (*Yo hablaría con el profesor* — I would talk to the teacher), and hypotheticals: *Si tuviera dinero, viajaría por el mundo* — If I had money, I would travel the world (you will master si-clauses in Lesson 16).

Commands (imperatives)

Notice: the polite usted command simply swaps the vowel (a→e, e/i→a). The tú affirmative command looks like the él form of the present. Irregular tú commands: di (decir), haz (hacer), ve (ir), pon (poner), sal (salir), sé (ser), ten (tener), ven (venir). Negative commands use the swapped vowel for everyone: *¡No hables!* (don't speak, tú), *¡No coma!* (usted). Pronouns attach to affirmative commands but go before negative ones: *¡Dime!* (tell me!) vs *¡No me digas!* (don't tell me!). When you attach pronouns, add a written accent to keep the stress in place: ¡Dímelo! — Tell me it!

Example sentences

• Mañana viajaremos a la costa. — Tomorrow we will travel to the coast.
• ¿A qué hora llegará el tren? — What time will the train arrive?
• Si pudiera, viviría cerca del mar. — If I could, I would live near the sea.
• ¡Escucha! El profesor habla. — Listen! The teacher is speaking.
• Señora, pase usted, por favor. — Madam, come in, please.
• ¡No corras en el pasillo! — Don't run in the corridor!
• ¡Haz la tarea antes de cenar! — Do the homework before dinner!
• ¡Dame el libro! — Give me the book!
• Serán las llaves de María. — They must be María's keys. (guessing with the future)

Dialogue: giving instructions to a friend housesitting

Ana: Este fin de semana estaré fuera. ¿Cuidarás la casa? Luis: Claro. ¿Qué tengo que hacer? Ana: Primero, riega las plantas cada día. ¡No te olvides! Luis: Vale. ¿Y el gato? Ana: Dale de comer por la mañana y por la noche. Y no abras la ventana del salón: ¡se escapa! Luis: Descuida. ¿Algo más? Ana: Sí: recoge el correo, por favor. ¡Y no hagas ninguna fiesta! Luis: ¡Prometido!

Comprehension questions: 1. What three jobs does Ana give Luis? 2. Why must he not open the living-room window? 3. What does Ana forbid at the end?

Answer key: 1. Water the plants daily, feed the cat morning and night, collect the post. 2. Because the cat escapes. 3. Having a party.

Pronunciation notes: this lesson's sounds

• Future endings are stressed: ha-bla-RÉ, co-me-RÁN — the accent marks on -é, -ás, -á, -án show a push on the last syllable.
• The conditional's í is always stressed and accented: ha-bla-RÍ-a (three syllables).
• Commands sound firm because the stress stays put even with pronouns attached: DÍ-me-lo — practise saying it as one word.

Common mistakes (wrong → right)

• ✗ Chaining two futures: *Mañana yo iré a hablaré* → ✓ Mañana hablaré or Voy a hablar — never chain two future forms.
• ✗ *¡Habla usted más despacio!* with the tú form → ✓ ¡Hable usted más despacio! — with usted, swap the vowel.
• ✗ *¡No habla tan rápido!* (negative command) → ✓ ¡No hables tan rápido! — negative tú commands use the swapped vowel too.
• ✗ *Dime lo* written as two words → ✓ ¡Dímelo! — attach both pronouns and add the accent.

Exam Experience

Reading comprehension. Read and answer in English. *El año que viene, nuestra escuela organizará un viaje a España. Saldremos el lunes y llegaremos a Madrid por la tarde. Visitaremos museos, probaremos platos típicos y hablaremos español todos los días. La profesora dice: «¡Escuchad bien! No llevéis mucho equipaje y no olvidéis el pasaporte». Será una experiencia fantástica.* 1. When will the trip take place, and where will they arrive first? (2 marks) 2. Name two things the students will do. (1 mark) 3. What two instructions does the teacher give? (1 mark) Answer key: 1. Next year; Madrid (arriving in the afternoon). 2. Any two of: visit museums, try typical dishes, speak Spanish every day. 3. Don't take much luggage; don't forget the passport.

Multiple choice. 1. Mañana nosotros ___ al mercado. a) iremos b) iríamos c) fuimos. Answer: a — the future of ir adds endings to the infinitive: *iremos*. 2. ¡___, por favor! (usted, hablar) a) Habla b) Hable c) Hablad. Answer: b — polite commands swap the vowel: -ar → e. 3. Yo ___ viajar, pero no tengo dinero. a) querré b) querría c) quiero ir a. Answer: b — "I would like" (hypothetical wish) needs the conditional querría.

Guided writing task. Write 50–60 words: describe what you *will* do on a future trip (future tense, at least four verbs) and what you *would* do if you had more money (conditional, at least two verbs). Model answer: *El verano próximo viajaré a México. Visitaré las pirámides, nadaré en el mar y comeré tacos en los mercados. Hablaré español con la gente. Si tuviera más dinero, me quedaría tres meses y viajaría también a Perú. Sería increíble.* Marking notes: content marks for both parts completed; language marks for correct irregular stems (tendré/haré if used), a conditional used for a genuine hypothetical, and commands not required here — do not reward memorised chunks that ignore the task.

Going further: the compound commands and useful futures

Affirmative commands in the nosotros form are how Spanish suggests group plans — the "let's" form: ¡Hablemos! (Let's talk!), ¡Comamos! (Let's eat!), ¡Vamos! (Let's go!) — with the famous exception ¡Vámonos! (Let's leave / off we go!) for *irse*. This form uses the subjunctive vowel swap you will meet again in Lesson 10, which is why it looks ahead of its time. Three more patterns multiply the value of this lesson:

• Acabar de + infinitive looks backward from now (Lesson 6), while ir a + infinitive looks forward — the two everyday time machines: *Acabo de comer; voy a dormir.* (I've just eaten; I'm going to sleep.)
• The future of probability has a conditional twin for the past: *Serían las cinco cuando salimos* — It must have been five when we left. Recognise it in novels and news.
• Por and para with the future: *Lo necesito para mañana* (I need it for/by tomorrow) and *Pasaré por tu casa* (I'll drop by your house) — you will meet the full por/para system in later study; these two chunks cover most travel talk.

Formal letter commands grow from *usted* forms: *Adjunte su documento* (Please attach your document), *No dude en contactarnos* (Do not hesitate to contact us) — a set phrase in every Spanish business letter. Drill: convert these life instructions — ¡Estudia! → ¡Estudie usted! → ¡No estudies! → ¡Dime la verdad! → ¡No me digas mentiras! — until the swap feels like flipping a switch.

Workshop: instructions for life

Commands rule three everyday genres — recipes, manuals and classroom routines. Read this recipe extract and name every command form: *Primero, lava las verduras. Después, córtalas en trozos pequeños. Calienta el aceite en una sartén grande y añade la cebolla. No pongas sal todavía. Cocina todo durante diez minutos y, al final, prueba el plato. Si está soso, añade un poco más de sal. ¡Y no te olvides de apagar el fuego!* Every verb is a tú command: regular ones looking like the present él form (*lava, calienta, cocina, prueba* — note *probar* is o→ue: prueba), irregular ones from the short list (*pon* hiding inside *no pongas* — negative, swapped vowel), pronoun attached (*córtalas* = cut them, accent preserved) and a reflexive negative (*no te olvides*). The classroom runs on the vosotros and usted versions across the Atlantic divide: ¡Escuchad! (Spain, to a class), ¡Escuchen! (Latin America, ustedes), ¡Abrid los libros! / ¡Abran los libros!, ¡Repetid! / ¡Repitan!, ¡Silencio, por favor! everywhere. Learn to *recognise* all four registers of command — tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes — even if you produce mainly two; instructions will reach you in whichever the speaker owns.