How to Say "would" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “would” is “solía” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
De niño, yo solía jugar en este parque todos los días.
As a child, I used to play in this park every day.
Mi abuela solía contarnos cuentos antes de dormir.
My grandmother used to tell us stories before bed.
Antes, la gente solía escribir cartas, pero ahora usan el correo electrónico.
Before, people used to write letters, but now they use email.
Talking About 'Used To'
'Solía' comes from the verb 'soler' and is your go-to word for talking about things that happened repeatedly or were true for a long time in the past. It's the Spanish way of saying 'I used to' or 'he/she used to'.
Always Followed by Another Verb
After 'solía', you always add the basic '-ar', '-er', or '-ir' form of another verb. For example, 'solía comer' (used to eat), 'solía jugar' (used to play).
A 'Defective' Verb
The verb 'soler' is special because people don't use it in every tense. You'll almost always see it in the present ('suelo') or the past imperfect ('solía'). Other forms, like the preterite or future, are very rare.
Mixing up Past Tenses
Mistake: “Ayer solía comer pizza.”
Correction: Ayer comí pizza. 'Solía' describes a habit over time, not a single action that happened yesterday. For one-time past events, use a different past tense like 'comí'.
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