Learn Spanish (Latin America): Sería mejor negociar el espacio para tener más privacidad. - It would be better to negotiate the space to have more privacy.

Sería mejor negociar el espacio para tener más privacidad.

It would be better to negotiate the space to have more privacy.

Breakdown of Sería mejor negociar el espacio para tener más privacidad.

Questions & Answers about Sería mejor negociar el espacio para tener más privacidad.

Why do we use the conditional sería here instead of just saying es mejor?

Using the conditional sería softens the statement, turning it from a rigid fact (es mejor, meaning "it is better") into a polite suggestion or piece of advice (sería mejor, meaning "it would be better"). This is a very common way to soften your tone and sound less bossy in Spanish.

Why is the verb negociar not conjugated?

In Spanish, the infinitive (the unconjugated verb) acts like a noun. Here, negociar is actually the subject of the sentence! You are literally saying "To negotiate the space would be better." Because it describes a general action rather than what a specific person (like "I" or "you") is doing, it stays in the infinitive.

Could I say sería mejor que negociar?

No, you cannot mix que with an infinitive in this structure. If you add que, you must specify who is doing the action and use the subjunctive mood (for example, sería mejor que negociemos, meaning "it would be better if we negotiate"). When giving general, impersonal advice, you drop the que and attach the infinitive directly: sería mejor negociar.

Why do we use para instead of por before tener?