Spanish conditional: “Me gustaría…”

gustaria spanish conditional 1

Key Facts

The Spanish phrase "me gustaría" translates to "I would like" and is a key way to express intentions. To form the conditional in Spanish, add the prefix -ría to the infinitive form of a verb. Use indirect object pronouns with gustaría to clarify who desires something. "Me gustaría" is used for expressing future desires rather than real facts. Using gustaría in polite requests enhances communication, especially in contexts like ordering food.

One of the best ways to talk about intentions or ambitions is by using conditionals.

The Spanish phrase “me gustaría” is equivalent to I would like and it’s one of the simplest ways to build a conditional sentence.

Some people think the verb “gustar” = (to like) and the conditional “gustaría” are used similarly. Yet, we are here to show you how different they are.

After reading this article, you will know how to build sentences using the conditional “gustaría” and when are the right times to use it.

So, if you want to improve your Spanish skills, don’t hesitate to expand your knowledge with this short explanation.

How to use the conditional “gustaría”

In English, using “would” + a verb is enough to build a conditional.

In Spanish, we basically do the same, but our “would” is the prefix “-ría”. As a result, if we want to build the conditional form of a verb, we would add the prefix “-ría” at the end of the verb to build a new word.

So, it’s not a surprise that “gustaría” is the conditional form of “gustar”.

If we want to build a sentence using “gustaría”, we have to use OI pronouns. OI pronouns are very important because they help us communicate easily, and we always use them with verbs like “gustar” or conditionals like “gustaría”.

If you don’t know which are the indirect object pronouns, find them listed below.

Spanish personal pronoun Indirect pronoun English pronoun
Yo Me I
Te You
Él/Ella/Usted Le He/She/You (formal)
Nosotros Nos We
Vosotros Os You (plural)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes Les They/You (plural)

Different from “me gusta”, we don’t use the Spanish conditional “me gustaría” to talk about real facts. Instead, we use it to express our future desires that haven’t happened yet.

Of course, we don’t know if one day they will come true, but we all hope they do.

Here are some examples:

La verdad, me gustaría salir contigo.

To be honest, I would like to date you.

Te gustaría hablar español perfectamente.

I would like to speak Spanish perfectly.

Nos gustaría comer galletas.

We would like to eat cookies.

¿Les gustaría viajar a Roma?

Would you like to travel to Rome?

“Gustaría” + verb

Using verbs with “gustaría” is pretty common. In general, we use the conditional “gustaría” with verbs in the infinitive form.

Nonetheless, we can also use it with verbs in the subjunctive form. In that scenario, we use (“gustaría” + subjunctive) to make suggestions.

Let’s check out the examples below:

A tí te gustaría caminar por el parque.

You would like to walk in the park.

El año que viene, a Marcos le gustaría comprar una casa nueva.

Next year, Marcos would like to buy a new house.

Me gustaría comieras un poco más rapido, nos tenemos que ir

I would like you to eat a little faster, we have to go

A Marta le gustaría hablaras con Rafael para solucionar el problema entre los dos.

Marta would like you to talk to Rafael to solve the problem between you two.

“Gustaría” + noun

Even though using “gustaría” + noun isn’t that common during daily conversations, it’s a helpful structure we can use to order in a restaurant.

It gives us a polite tone and helps us express what we want to eat or drink. Let’s imagine you’re with a friend in a restaurant and you want to get a Cuban mojito to drink. In that context, you can tell the waiter “Me gustaría un mojito cubano”.

On the other side, we can also use “gustaría” + noun with the preposition “para”. The preposition “para” will help us tell the purpose of our order.

Consequently, we will provide more detailed information about what we want and there’s no space for confusion. Sometimes, we can use “de” instead of “para”.

Here are some examples:

¿Te gustaría un Martini?

Would you like a Martini?

Nos gustaría un banana split de postre.

We’d like a banana split for dessert.

A Sofía le gustaría un filet de mignon de plato principal.

Sofía would like a filet mignon for her main course.

Me gustaría una pizza napolitana para comer juntos en casa.

I would like a Neapolitan pizza to eat together at home.

How to be polite using “gustaría”

Apart from all its other uses, we can use “gustaría” to ask anything in a polite way. We can use it in almost any situation.

For example, if you are in a restaurant, you can make your order just like how we showed you before or use verbs like “ordenar” and “pedir”.

Let’s look at the following example:

¿Qué desea ordenar caballero? – Me gustaría ordenar un jugo de fresas y una ensalada, por favor.

What do you want to order sir? – I would like to order strawberry juice and a salad, please.

Señorita, me gustaría pedir un pastel para dos personas.

Miss, I would like to order a cake for two people.

Me gustaría hablar con su supervisor, por favor.

I’d like to speak to your supervisor, please.

Please note that when we want to ask something politely using the conditional “gustaría”, we often use “por favor”. Also, sometimes, we use “quisiera” as an equivalent to “me gustaría”.

Let’s see the following example:

Quisiera hablar con su supervisor, por favor.

I’d like to speak to your supervisor, please.

Spanish conditional verbs

In summary, we use the conditional “gustaría” to express our future desires, make a suggestion or ask something politely.

If we use “gustaría” to express a desire, we have to conjugate the one that follows the conditional in the infinitive form. On the flip side, to make a suggestion, we should conjugate it using the subjunctive form.

When asking something politely, we generally use the expression “por favor” and using the preposition “para” to express purpose it’s also a great idea.

Finally, keep in mind that building conditionals in Spanish is simple and we can do it only by adding the prefix “-ría” to a verb in the infinitive form.

Test your knowledge

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