A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration depicting a small character standing sadly on a grassy hill, looking at a single red apple that has rolled just out of reach, symbolizing an action that 'would have' been completed.

habrían

ah-BREE-ahn

VerbB2irregular (auxiliary) er

would have?(Used as an auxiliary verb to form the conditional perfect tense)

Also:they would have?Focusing on the third-person plural subject

Quick Reference

infinitivehaber

gerundhabiendo

past Participlehabido

📝 In Action

Si hubieran sabido la verdad, ellos no habrían venido a la fiesta.

If they had known the truth, they would not have come to the party.

Ustedes habrían terminado el proyecto si hubieran tenido más tiempo.

You (plural, formal) would have finished the project if you had had more time.

Los niños habrían comido el pastel si no lo hubiéramos escondido.

The children would have eaten the cake if we hadn't hidden it.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

habrían dicho – they would have said
habrían podido – they would have been able to
habrían ido – they would have gone

Idioms & Expressions

¡Quién lo habría dicho! – Who would have thought it!

💡 Grammar Points

Role as an Auxiliary

In this form, 'habrían' is always paired with a past participle (a word ending in -ado or -ido) to express a complete action.

Conditional Perfect Tense

This tense is used to talk about things that were desired, possible, or planned in the past but did not actually happen ('They would have gone, but...').

The 'If-Then' Structure

'Habrían' often appears in the 'then' part of a past hypothetical sentence, following an 'if' clause that uses the imperfect subjunctive ('Si hubieran... habrían...').

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing 'Habrían' and 'Habían'

Mistake: "Using 'Habían' (imperfect tense) instead of 'Habrían' (conditional tense) to express possibility or hypothetical actions."

Correction: Use 'Habrían' for 'would have' (hypothetical); use 'Habían' for 'they had' (past perfect description of what happened).

⭐ Usage Tips

Identifying the Subject

'Habrían' always refers to a plural subject: 'ellos' (they), 'ellas' (they, feminine), or 'ustedes' (you, plural/formal).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedha

yohe

túhas

ellos/ellas/ustedeshan

nosotroshemos

vosotroshabéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhabía

yohabía

túhabías

ellos/ellas/ustedeshabían

nosotroshabíamos

vosotroshabíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedhubo

yohube

túhubiste

ellos/ellas/ustedeshubieron

nosotroshubimos

vosotroshubisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedhaya

yohaya

túhayas

ellos/ellas/ustedeshayan

nosotroshayamos

vosotroshayáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhubiera/hubiese

yohubiera/hubiese

túhubieras/hubieses

ellos/ellas/ustedeshubieran/hubiesen

nosotroshubiéramos/hubiésemos

vosotroshubierais/hubieseis

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: habrían

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'habrían' to express a hypothetical past action?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

haber(to have (auxiliary)) - verb

habría(I/he/she/it would have) - verb

habían(they had) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'habrían' the same as 'tenían'?

No. 'Habrían' is part of the structure for 'would have done something,' focusing on hypothetical actions. 'Tenían' is from the verb *tener* (to possess) and means 'they used to have' or 'they were having.'

Why is 'haber' irregular?

While many of its forms follow patterns, the conditional tense ('habría,' 'habrían') uses a special stem ('habr-') which makes it technically irregular, though the ending (-ían) is consistent with regular verbs.