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habrían

ah-BREE-ahn/aˈβɾian/

“habrían” means “would have” in Spanish ((Used as an auxiliary verb to form the conditional perfect tense)).

would have

Also: they would have
VerbB2irregular (auxiliary) er
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.
infinitivehaber
gerundhabiendo
past Participlehabido

📝 In Action

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

B2

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

Ustedes habrían terminado el proyecto si hubieran tenido más tiempo.

B2

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.

B1

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!

🔄 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
🎵 Rhymes▼
veríanquerrían
📚 Etymology▼

'Haber' comes from the Latin verb *habere*, meaning 'to have' or 'to hold.' Over time, its main use shifted in Spanish from meaning 'to possess' (a role taken over by *tener*) to being an essential helper verb for forming compound tenses.

First recorded: The root *haber* dates back to Vulgar Latin, and the conditional forms developed early in the Romance languages.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: haveriamFrench: auraient

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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.