desistir Conditional Conjugation
desistir — to give up
The conditional of desistir (desistiría, desistirías, etc.) expresses 'would give up' or polite suggestions.
desistir Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use the conditional tense of 'desistir' for hypothetical situations ('I would give up if...'), polite requests, or to express a future action from a past perspective ('He said he would give up').
Notes on desistir in the Conditional
Desistir is regular in the conditional tense. The stem is the infinitive 'desistir', and you add the standard conditional endings.
Example Sentences
Yo desistiría si me ofrecieran una buena suma de dinero.
I would give up if they offered me a good sum of money.
yo
¿Tú desistirías de tu plan si te lo pidiera?
Would you give up your plan if I asked you to?
tú
Él desistiría si supiera las consecuencias.
He would give up if he knew the consequences.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros desistiríamos por el bien de la paz.
We would give up for the sake of peace.
nosotros
Ellos desistirían si la situación mejorara.
They would give up if the situation improved.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect subjunctive instead of the conditional for hypotheticals.
Correct: Use 'desistiría' in clauses starting with 'Si...' when the main clause uses the conditional.
Why: While both deal with hypotheticals, the conditional describes the result ('would give up'), and the imperfect subjunctive often describes the condition ('if I had...').
Mistake: Confusing conditional endings with future endings.
Correct: Conditional endings are '-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían', while future endings are '-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án'.
Why: Both use the infinitive stem, making it easy to mix up the endings.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desisto
The present tense of desistir (desisto, desistes, etc.) means to give up habitually or right now.
Preterite
yo: desistí
The preterite of desistir is regular: desistí, desististe, desistió, desistimos, desististeis, desistieron.
Imperfect
yo: desistía
The imperfect of desistir (desistía, desistías, etc.) describes past habits or ongoing actions of giving up.
Future
yo: desistiré
The future tense of desistir (desistiré, desistirás, etc.) expresses that someone will give up.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desista
The present subjunctive of desistir (desista, desistas, etc.) follows expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desistiera
The imperfect subjunctive of desistir (desistiera, desistieras, etc.) is used for past hypotheticals or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desiste
Desist has regular imperative forms like desiste, desista, desistamos, desistan, desistid.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desistas
Negative commands for desistir use 'no' + present subjunctive: no desistas, no desista, no desistamos, no desistan, no desistáis.