despreciar Conditional Conjugation
despreciar — to look down on
The conditional of despreciar (despreciaría, despreciarías...) expresses 'would' actions or polite requests.
despreciar Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use the conditional for hypothetical situations ('I *would* look down on that if...'), polite requests ('Would you look down on this?'), or future actions from a past perspective ('He said he *would* look down on it').
Notes on despreciar in the Conditional
Despreciar is regular in the conditional tense. The stem is the full infinitive 'despreciar-'.
Example Sentences
Yo no despreciaría esa oportunidad.
I would not look down on that opportunity.
yo
¿Tú despreciarías su consejo si fuera sincero?
Would you look down on his advice if it were sincere?
tú
Él despreciaría las reglas si pudiera.
He would look down on the rules if he could.
él/ella/usted
Ellos despreciarían la falta de respeto.
They would look down on the lack of respect.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the future tense ('despreciará') instead of the conditional.
Correct: For hypothetical 'would' statements, use 'despreciaría', not 'despreciará'.
Why: The future tense refers to what *will* happen, while the conditional refers to what *would* happen.
Mistake: Confusing conditional with the imperfect subjunctive.
Correct: In 'si' clauses about hypotheticals, the conditional often pairs with the imperfect subjunctive (e.g., 'Si no *despreciara*... , *despreciaría*...').
Why: These tenses work together to express hypothetical cause and effect.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'despreciar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: desprecio
The present tense of despreciar (desprecio, desprecias, desprecia...) describes current actions or habits.
Preterite
yo: desprecié
The preterite of despreciar is regular: desprecié, despreciaste, despreció, despreciamos, despreciasteis, despreciaron.
Imperfect
yo: despreciaba
The imperfect of despreciar (despreciaba, despreciabas...) describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: despreciaré
The future tense of despreciar (despreciaré, despreciarás...) indicates actions that will happen.
Present Subjunctive
yo: desprecie
Use 'desprecie' (yo/él/ella/Ud.) and 'desprecien' (ellos/ellas/Uds.) after wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: despreciara
The imperfect subjunctive of despreciar (e.g., despreciara, despreciaras) is used for past hypotheticals and wishes.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desprecia
Use 'desprecia' (tú) and 'desprecien' (ustedes) for direct commands with despreciar.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desprecies
Negative commands for despreciar use the present subjunctive: 'no desprecies', 'no desprecien'.