Using haber to say would have [done something] in Spanish

In Spanish, to express that someone "would have [done something]" in the past, we use the auxiliary verb haber.

Haber [ìn the conditional simple] + participle of main verb

Have a look and listen to the following examples:

Yo habría invitado a menos gente a la fiesta.I would have invited fewer people to the party.

Él no te habría querido tanto como yo.He would not have loved you as much as I do.

Ellos dicen que habrían invertido su dinero en algo diferente.They say that they would have invested their money in something different.

¿Qué habrías hecho tú en mi lugar?What would you have done in my situation?

Ustedes habrían sido más felices en España.You would have been happier in Spain.

While in English there is the extra word would, in Spanish we do not have an extra word, we just conjugate the auxiliary verb haber in the conditional, to mean "would have".

Also remember that compound verbs cannot be split by other words, such as pronouns, or adverbs like no.

These are incorrect:

  • ¿Qué habrías  hecho en mi lugar?
  • Él habría no te querido tanto como yo.

These are correct:

  • ¿Qué habrías hecho tú en mi lugar?
  • Él no te habría querido tanto como yo.

 

Note on hubiera/hubiese

In conditional sentences, sometimes haber in the conditional form (habría, habrías...) can be replaced by haber in the imperfect subjunctive form (hubiera/hubiese, hubieras/hubieses...). However habría cannot replace hubiera/hubiese in phrases that trigger the subjunctive. Here are some common examples:

Si hubieses llegado antes te hubiera llevado en mi coche.
Si hubieses llegado antes te habría llevado en mi coche
If you had arrived earlier I would have given you a lift.

A Antonio le hubiera gustado estudiar medicina.
A Antonio le habría gustado estudiar medicina.
Antonio would have liked to study medicine.

BUT

Structures that require the subjunctive must use the subjunctive and not the conditional. For example, verbs that express emotion trigger the subjunctive:

Me alegró mucho que te hubieran/hubiesen seleccionado para ese papel. 
Me alegró mucho que te habrían seleccionado para ese papel.
It made me really happy that they had selected you for that role.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

¿Qué habrías hecho tú en mi lugar?What would you have done in my situation?
Ellos dicen que habrían invertido su dinero en algo diferente.They say that they would have invested their money in something different.
Ustedes habrían sido más felices en España.You would have been happier in Spain.
Él no te habría querido tanto como yo.He would not have loved you as much as I do.
Yo habría invitado a menos gente a la fiesta.I would have invited fewer people to the party.
Thinking...