Impossible Past Conditions
When analyzing a botched museum heist, you will inevitably discuss what would have happened if things had gone differently. To talk about these impossible past hypotheses (the third conditional), combine two compound tenses. Both halves of the sentence use the auxiliary verb haber + a past participle, but in different tenses:
| Subject | Haber (Past Subjunctive) | Haber (Conditional) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera | habría |
| tú | hubieras | habrías |
| él / ella / usted | hubiera | habría |
| nosotros / nosotras | hubiéramos | habríamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hubierais | habríais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hubieran | habrían |
The Condition The condition describes the event that didn't happen. Start with si (if) followed by the past perfect subjunctive (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo).
The Result The result describes the hypothetical outcome. Use the perfect conditional (condicional compuesto).
When starting with the si clause, separate the condition and the result with a comma:
| If we had distracted that watchman, he wouldn't have seen us. | Si hubiéramos distraído a ese vigilante, no nos habría visto. |
| If that clumsy accomplice had dodged the laser, the alarm wouldn't have gone off. | Si ese cómplice tan torpe hubiera esquivado el láser, la alarma no habría sonado. |
| If you had dodged the camera, you would have taken the loot out of that safe. | Si hubierais esquivado la cámara, habríais sacado el botín de aquella caja fuerte. |
You can also reverse the order of the clauses, putting the conditional result first. In this case, the comma is dropped:
| It would have been useless to open the safe if the loot hadn't been inside. | Habría sido inútil abrir la caja fuerte si el botín no hubiera estado dentro. |
| That ski mask would have been useless if the watchman had caught the thief. | Aquel pasamontañas habría sido inútil si el vigilante hubiera atrapado al ladrón. |
Make sure haber is conjugated to match the subject of its own clause, as the condition and result often have different subjects:
| If you hadn't been so clumsy, we would have distracted the watchman. | Si no hubieras sido tan torpe, habríamos distraído al vigilante. |