The Conditional Mood of responder is used to express what you would do in a hypothetical situation, for example: Responderías a la pregunta si supieras la respuesta. (You would answer the question if you knew the answer.)

Responder is a regular verb, meaning its conjugations in the Conditional Mood follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -er.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Responder (to respond) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Conditional (Indicative) of responder is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, and to talk about future events that depend on certain conditions.

Hypothetical situations: For example, Si tuviera más dinero, respondería que sí a esa oferta de trabajo. (If I had more money, I would respond yes to that job offer.)

Polite requests: For example, ¿Respondería usted a algunas preguntas, por favor? (Would you please answer some questions?)

Future events with conditions: For example, Si me llaman, les respondería que estoy ocupado. (If they call me, I would respond that I’m busy.)

Slang/Idiomatic: In some contexts, responder can mean “to talk back” or “to be rude”, for example: ¡No me respondas así, jovencito! (Don’t talk back to me like that, young man!)

Examples

Examples of Responder in the Conditional Mood

Si alguien te respondería de manera grosera, ¿cómo responderías? (If someone responded to you rudely, how would you respond?)

En una situación de emergencia, los servicios de rescate responderían rápidamente. (In an emergency situation, the rescue services would respond quickly.)

Si tuvieras la oportunidad de viajar al espacio, ¿responderías al llamado? (If you had the opportunity to travel to space, would you respond to the call?)

Si te ofrecieran un trabajo soñado, ¿responderías de inmediato o tomarías tiempo para pensarlo? (If you were offered your dream job, would you respond immediately or take time to think about it?)

En una emergencia, los vecinos responderían ayudando a quienes lo necesiten. (In an emergency, neighbors would respond by helping those in need.)

Si alguien te pide un favor, responderías con amabilidad, incluso si no puedes ayudar. (If someone asks you for a favor, you would respond politely, even if you can’t help.)

Ante un desafío, los líderes responderían con determinación y creatividad. (When faced with a challenge, leaders would respond with determination and creativity.)

Si recibieras una invitación a una fiesta sorpresa, ¿responderías con entusiasmo o preferirías quedarte en casa? (If you received an invitation to a surprise party, would you respond with enthusiasm or prefer to stay home?)

En una situación de crisis, las autoridades responderían con medidas de seguridad adecuadas. (In a crisis situation, authorities would respond with appropriate security measures.)

Si alguien te hiciera un cumplido sincero, ¿responderías con modestia o aceptarías el elogio? (If someone gave you a sincere compliment, would you respond with modesty or accept the praise?)

Ante una oportunidad de crecimiento profesional, los empleados ambiciosos responderían con entusiasmo. (When faced with an opportunity for professional growth, ambitious employees would respond with enthusiasm.)

Si un amigo te pidiera un consejo, ¿responderías con honestidad o preferirías evitar el tema? (If a friend asked you for advice, would you respond with honesty or prefer to avoid the topic?)

En una situación de conflicto, los diplomáticos responderían con diálogo y negociación. (In a conflict situation, diplomats would respond with dialogue and negotiation.)

Si recibieras una oferta tentadora pero poco ética, ¿responderías con integridad o cederías a la tentación? (If you received a tempting but unethical offer, would you respond with integrity or give in to temptation?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Responder (to respond) 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.