Reporting future plans from the past
When you report a statement about the future that was made in the past using a past-tense reporting verb (like dijo or aseguró), the original future tense (Futuro Simple) shifts to the conditional (Condicional Simple).
For example, if the original promise was "The robot will clean" (limpiará), it becomes "The boss assured that the robot would clean" (limpiaría).
| The boss (f.) assured that the robot would clean the office. | La jefa aseguró que el robot limpiaría la oficina. |
| Yesterday my sister imagined that you would buy a flying car. | Ayer mi hermana imaginó que comprarías un coche volador. |
Visions of the future
This tense shift is perfect for talking about old science fiction predictions and retro-futurism. You will use the conditional to describe what people in the past thought the future would look like, from artificial intelligence to space travel.
| The journalist said that artificial intelligence would control the world. | La periodista dijo que la inteligencia artificial controlaría el mundo. |
| Years ago, nobody imagined that the hologram would be possible. | Hace años, nadie imaginó que el holograma sería posible. |
| The grandfather promised that the rocket would be on the moon. | El abuelo prometió que el cohete estaría en la luna. |
Other reporting verbs
You aren't limited to just decir (to say) or asegurar (to assure). Verbs of thought and communication like imaginar (to imagine), prometer (to promise), and anunciar (to announce) trigger the exact same shift to the conditional when used in the past tense.
Remember to conjugate the conditional verb for the person or thing performing the reported action (for example, habitaríamos for "we would inhabit").
| A century ago, they assured that we would inhabit another planet. | Hace un siglo, aseguraron que habitaríamos otro planeta. |
| The government announced that the rocket would arrive at the colony. | El gobierno anunció que el cohete llegaría a la colonia. |
