descuidar Conditional Conjugation
descuidar — to neglect
The conditional of descuidar (descuidaría, descuidarías, etc.) is used for hypotheticals ('would'), polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
descuidar Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use the conditional to talk about what you *would* do (or what would happen) regarding neglect, often in hypothetical situations. For example, 'I would neglect my diet if I were on vacation' or 'He would neglect his duties if no one supervised him.'
Notes on descuidar in the Conditional
Descuidar is regular in the conditional tense. The stem is the infinitive 'descuidar', and the standard conditional endings are added.
Example Sentences
Yo descuidaría la tarea si tuviera mucho trabajo.
I would neglect the homework if I had a lot of work.
yo
¿Tú descuidarías tu salud por dinero?
Would you neglect your health for money?
tú
Él descuidaría los detalles importantes.
He would neglect the important details.
él/ella/usted
Ellos descuidarían las consecuencias.
They would neglect the consequences.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing conditional with future.
Correct: Use 'Descuidaría si...' (I would neglect if...) for hypotheticals, not 'Descuidaré si...' (I will neglect if...).
Why: The conditional expresses hypothetical outcomes, while the future expresses certainty or probability.
Mistake: Using the imperfect subjunctive instead of conditional for 'would'.
Correct: For 'He would neglect...', use 'Él descuidaría...', not 'Él descuidara...'.
Why: While both deal with hypotheticals, the conditional is used for the main clause outcome ('would do'), and the imperfect subjunctive for the 'if' clause condition.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: descuido
The present tense of descuidar (descuido, descuidas, etc.) describes current actions, habits, or general truths about neglecting things.
Preterite
yo: descuidé
The preterite of descuidar is regular: descuidé, descuidaste, descuidó, descuidamos, descuidasteis, descuidaron.
Imperfect
yo: descuidaba
The imperfect of descuidar (descuidaba, descuidabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past neglect.
Future
yo: descuidaré
The future tense of descuidar (descuidaré, descuidarás, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability about neglecting something.
Present Subjunctive
yo: descuide
The present subjunctive of descuidar (descuide, descuides, etc.) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: descuidara
The imperfect subjunctive of descuidar (descuidara/descuidase) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, and polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: descuida
Use the imperative of descuidar for direct commands: descuida (tú), descuide (usted), descuidemos (nosotros), descuiden (ustedes), descuidad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no descuides
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no descuides (tú), no descuide (usted), no descuidemos (nosotros), no descuiden (ustedes), no descuidéis (vosotros).