Polite requests with the conditional
When you want to politely express what you would like someone else to do, you can use a verb in the conditional tense. Because you are expressing a hypothetical wish or influence, this triggers the imperfect subjunctive in the dependent clause.
"Me gustaría que..."
The most common way to express this is with the conditional form of gustar. Notice how me gustaría (I would like) is followed by que and the imperfect subjunctive.
| I would like you to bring the grill for the barbecue. | Me gustaría que trajeras la parrilla para el asado. |
| Would you like me to organize the festival with you? | ¿Te gustaría que yo organizara el festival contigo? |
Other conditional triggers
You can also use verbs like encantar (to love), preferir (to prefer), or agradecer (to appreciate) in the conditional to politely express your preferences or ask for favors.
| We would love for you guys to use the grill. | Nos encantaría que ustedes usaran la parrilla. |
| I would prefer that you hand out the flyers today. | Preferiría que repartieras los volantes hoy. |
| I would appreciate it if you came to the park early. | Te agradecería que vinieras temprano al parque. |
Impersonal conditional expressions
Impersonal expressions like sería mejor que (it would be better if/that) state a hypothetical opinion and are also followed by the imperfect subjunctive.
| It would be better if you controlled the sound. | Sería mejor que tú controlaras el sonido. |
| It would be excellent if we raised more dollars. | Sería excelente que recaudáramos más dólares. |
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