Hubiera/habria/habre
Hi all!
I'm just really confused on the grammar usage for hubiera(hubiese)/habria/habre. I don't understand the difference and I don't know how to use them individually either. I did some research and this is what I have so far: Hubiera is used for something that could've happened if another action was taken (ex. If i did this then I WOULD HAVE been able to...blabalb)...but i can be wrong - what's the difference between hubiera and hubiese anyways?;... I also dont get the difference between habria and habre :S
If any of you can please give me an example phrase and explanation for each of the grammar usage that would be great!
Thank you guys soooo much for the help!!
3 Answers
Hi theinvincible,
I would recommend starting by looking at the full conjugation for the verb "haber" on Spanishdict: http://www.spanishdict.com/conjugate/haber
Mouse over the different tenses to get examples of how that tense is used and then it might help you to better understand the different conjugations of the word.
what's the difference between hubiera and hubiese anyways?
I'm not familiar with "hubiese" so I had to do some research; based on other questions online, it turns out that "hubiese" is a conjugation of haber in what is known on Spanishdict as the "Imperfect 2." This is in the subjunctive mood. Just as a refresher about the subjunctive mood, here's an excerpt from Spanishdict's Subjunctive reference article:
"The subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, the unknown, the abstract, and emotions. The subjunctive mood includes many of the same verb tenses as the indicative mood, but not all, in three different time periods..."
So, hubiese and hubiera mean the same thing, they just give a different tone; based on my research, hubiese has a more formal, literary tone. I would make the assumption that you would be safe not using hubiese and just using hubiera in all of your Spanish speaking and communicating... unless you someday become a famous Spanish novelist!
I also dont get the difference between habria and habre :S
The difference between habría and habré is a bit easier, I think. First, let's go over the tense: "habría" is in the conditional tense and "habré" is in the future tense. The difference between conditional and future is this, put very simply: Conditional tense means something might (conditionally) happen and future tense means something will happen in the future.
Here are some examples with habría and habré:
Ana habría comido fresas si no estuviera enferma.
Ana would have eaten strawberries if she weren't sick. (See the condition here? She was sick, so she didn't eat strawberries... But if he hadn't been sick, she would have eaten the strawberries.)
Carlos habría jugado si hubiera venido a las 9:00 a.m.
Carlos would have played if he had come at 9:00 a.m. (Again, the condition here is Carlos having come at 9:00 am...but he didn't. Otherwise, he would have played.)
Yo habré comido después de trabajar.
I will have eaten after working. (In this case, it's a more simple statement about some point in the future. After work, I will have eaten.)
Yo habré dado el carro a Jorge.
I will have given the car to Jorge. (Again, by some point in time--not identified in the sentence just to make it a simple sentence--I will have given the car to Jorge.)
There are grammar books, you know.
There isn't a short, simple explanation. Or if there is, I've never seen it.
I wish you luck, it takes perserverance and, if in say, 15 years time, I have found some key to the problem I shall write a best-selling grammar.
would have = habría
I will have = (yo) habré
