The Conditional Mood of secar is used to express hypothetical or imagined situations, for example: Si tuviera una secadora, secaría la ropa más rápido. (If I had a dryer, I would dry the clothes faster.)

Secar is a regular verb in Spanish, which means its conjugations in the Conditional follow the same pattern as other verbs ending in -ar.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Mantener (to maintain) in the Conditional Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The conditional mood of secar is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or possibilities in the future.

To dry something: For example, secaría la ropa después de lavarla (I would dry the clothes after washing them). This is the most common meaning, referring to removing moisture or making something dry.

To drain or empty: For example, secaría el vaso de un trago (I would drain the glass in one gulp). This usage implies completely emptying a liquid container.

To wither or dry up (plants): For example, el calor secaría las plantas si no las regara (the heat would dry up the plants if I didn’t water them). It refers to plants losing moisture and wilting.

To dry up (liquids): For example, el sol secaría los charcos después de la lluvia (the sun would dry up the puddles after the rain). This meaning applies to liquids evaporating.

To ignore or give the cold shoulder (colloquial): For example, me secaría si me pide otro favor (I would ignore her if she asks me for another favor). In this slang usage, it means to deliberately avoid or ignore someone.

Examples

Examples of Mantener in the Conditional Mood

Si tuviera una secadora, secaría la ropa más rápido. (If I had a dryer, I would dry the clothes faster.)

Después de lavar los platos, secaríamos todo con un paño de cocina. (After washing the dishes, we would dry everything with a kitchen towel.)

En el desierto, el sol secaría tu ropa en cuestión de horas. (In the desert, the sun would dry your clothes in a matter of hours.)

Después de la lluvia, secarían las calles con grandes ventiladores. (After the rain, they would dry the streets with large fans.)

En la playa, secarías tu toalla al sol para usarla de nuevo. (At the beach, you would dry your towel in the sun to use it again.)

Después de pintar, secarían las paredes antes de colgar cuadros. (After painting, they would dry the walls before hanging pictures.)

En un restaurante, secarías tus manos con una toalla de papel después de lavarlas. (In a restaurant, you would dry your hands with a paper towel after washing them.)

Después de nadar, secaríamos nuestros cuerpos con toallas de playa. (After swimming, we would dry our bodies with beach towels.)

En un taller de cerámica, secarían las piezas antes de hornearlas. (In a pottery workshop, they would dry the pieces before firing them.)

Si secarías tu ropa al aire libre, ahorrarías energía. (If you would dry your clothes outdoors, you would save energy.)

Después de lavar el carro, secaríamos todas las superficies con un paño suave. (After washing the car, we would dry all surfaces with a soft cloth.)

En un laboratorio, secarían las muestras antes de analizarlas. (In a laboratory, they would dry the samples before analyzing them.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Mantener (to maintain) in the Conditional Mood tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Conditional mood is also known as the Simple Conditional, Conditional Simple, Would Tense, or Future of the Past in English, and as Condicional Simple, Pospretérito, Potencial Simple, or Condicional de Indicativo in Spanish.