The Conditional Mood of matar is used to express hypothetical or imagined situations, for example: Si pudiera, no mataría ni una mosca. (If I could, I wouldn’t kill a fly.)

Matar is a regular verb, so its conjugations in the Conditional follow the typical pattern for -ar verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

The conditional mood of matar is used to express hypothetical or potential situations, often with an implied condition.

To kill or murder: This is the literal meaning of matar in the conditional mood. For example, Si tuviera un arma, lo mataría. (If I had a weapon, I would kill him.)

To destroy or ruin: Matar can also mean to destroy or ruin something in a figurative sense. For example, Me mataría si perdiera mi trabajo. (It would kill me if I lost my job.)

To exhaust or tire out: In a more colloquial usage, matar can mean to exhaust or tire someone out. For example, Este calor me mataría. (This heat would kill me.)

To turn off or deactivate: In some contexts, matar can mean to turn off or deactivate something. For example, Mataría el aire acondicionado para ahorrar energía. (I would turn off the air conditioning to save energy.)

To drink excessively: In a slang usage, matar can mean to drink excessively or to get very drunk. For example, Anoche me maté de beber. (Last night, I got completely wasted from drinking.)

Examples

Examples of Matar in the Conditional Mood

Si no mataría a esa araña, seguiría caminando por la pared. (If I wouldn’t kill that spider, it would keep walking on the wall.)

Aunque mataríamos por tener un día libre, tenemos que trabajar. (Even though we would kill for a day off, we have to work.)

En una situación extrema, matarías para proteger a tu familia. (In an extreme situation, you would kill to protect your family.)

El cazador mataría al venado sólo si fuera necesario. (The hunter would kill the deer only if necessary.)

Nunca mataríais a un ser humano, ¿verdad? (You would never kill a human being, right?)

Los soldados matarían al enemigo si se les ordenara. (The soldiers would kill the enemy if ordered to.)

Algunos matarían por fama y fortuna. (Some would kill for fame and fortune.)

Ella mataría por un trozo de ese pastel delicioso. (She would kill for a piece of that delicious cake.)

En la película de terror, el asesino mataría a cualquiera que se cruzara en su camino. (In the horror movie, the killer would kill anyone who got in his way.)

Tú matarías las plantas si no las regaras regularmente. (You would kill the plants if you didn’t water them regularly.)

Ellos matarían por tener una oportunidad así. (They would kill for a chance like that.)

Yo mataría por un buen plato de comida casera. (I would kill for a good home-cooked meal.)

Nosotros mataríamos el tiempo viendo una película juntos. (We would kill time by watching a movie together.)

Ustedes matarían las esperanzas de los niños si les mintieran. (You would kill the children’s hopes if you lied to them.)

Ellas matarían por tener una noche de chicas. (They would kill for a girls’ night out.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Matar (to kill) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.