deteriorar Conditional Conjugation

When to Use the Conditional

Use the conditional of 'deteriorar' for hypothetical situations ('it would deteriorate'), polite requests, or to express future actions from a past perspective. For example, 'Si no llueve, la pintura no se deterioraría tanto' (If it doesn't rain, the paint wouldn't deteriorate so much). It can also mean 'would' in the sense of a likely outcome: 'A estas alturas, el coche ya se deterioraría' (By now, the car would likely have deteriorated).

Notes on deteriorar in the Conditional

Deteriorar is regular in the conditional tense. The stem is the full infinitive 'deteriorar-'.

Example Sentences

• Sin cuidado, la madera se deterioraría rápidamente.

  Without care, the wood would deteriorate quickly.

  él/ella/usted

• ¿Te imaginas que el edificio se deteriorara por completo?

  Can you imagine the building deteriorating completely?

  él/ella/usted

• Si no hubieran intervenido, las ruinas se deteriorarían más.

  If they hadn't intervened, the ruins would have deteriorated more.

  ellos/ellas/ustedes

• Yo creo que el precio se deterioraría si la noticia fuera cierta.

  I believe the price would deteriorate if the news were true.

  yo

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Confusing conditional with future or imperfect subjunctive.

  Correct: Use 'deterioraría' for 'would deteriorate' (hypothetical) or 'would deteriorate' (future-in-the-past). Use 'deteriorara' for past subjunctive hypotheticals.

  Why: These tenses have distinct uses: future for certainty, conditional for hypotheticals/politeness, imperfect subjunctive for past hypotheticals/wishes.

• Mistake: Using the infinitive instead of the conditional.

  Correct: The conditional form is 'deterioraría', not 'deteriorar'.

  Why: The conditional requires specific endings added to the infinitive stem.

Related Tenses