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Lesson 210 of 238

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Free Spanish CourseLesson 210 of 238

If I were in your place in Spanish

Michael was offered a second café on the corner, and he said no. Today the table replays that fork and wonders what each person would have done.

You'll learn to put yourself in someone's place, open an unlikely if, and say had I known. You'll also soften disagreement and postpone a decision.

By the end of this lesson

Talk through a past what-if and say what you would have done.

  • Yo que tú ya lo habría ___If I were you, I'd have ___ by now
  • Si pudiera, ___If I could, I'd ___
  • De haberlo sabido, ___Had I known, I'd have ___
  • No lo tengo tan claroI'm not so sure
  • Habría que pensarloIt'd need some thought
  • ¿Tú qué habrías hecho?What would you have done?

Scene — a fork not taken

Late afternoon at Café Laurel. The rush is over, most chairs are back on the tables, and Michael sits with Justin, Yako, and Megan.

A for-rent sign hangs on the corner across the street, so everyone keeps glancing at it.

Late afternoon at Café Laurel. The rush is over, the chairs are back on the tables except three, and Michael sits down with Justin, Yako and Megan. There's a for-rent sign on the corner across the street, and everyone at

Learn — if I were you, I'd have…

Six lines shape one past what-if conversation.

The first three open a hypothetical and finish it in your own words; the last three hedge, pause, and ask what someone else would have done.

  1. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: If I were you, I'd have ___ by now

    Yo que tú ya lo habría ___

    If I were you, I'd have ___ by now

    When to use it: Say this to give direct advice about a decision someone has already made.

    Yo que tú is a set phrase meaning in your place; ya adds by now and makes the advice more pressing.

  2. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: If I could, I'd ___

    Si pudiera, ___

    If I could, I'd ___

    When to use it: Open a hypothetical that is unlikely, unavailable, or outside your control.

    Pudiera is the imperfect subjunctive; in Mexico, it can sound softer and less formal than podría in this frame.

    Say it: Say pudiera as poo-DYEH-rah, with stress on DYEH.

  3. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: Had I known, I'd have ___

    De haberlo sabido, ___

    Had I known, I'd have ___

    When to use it: Express regret about a missed chance caused by not knowing something earlier.

    This compact form is similar to si lo hubiera sabido; de plus the infinitive leaves out si.

  4. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: I'm not so sure

    No lo tengo tan claro

    I'm not so sure

    When to use it: Soften your position when you have doubts instead of openly rejecting someone's idea.

    This is a tactful disagreement; tan makes your certainty weaker than saying No lo tengo claro.

  5. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: It'd need some thought

    Habría que pensarlo

    It'd need some thought

    When to use it: Set a decision aside because it deserves careful thought before anyone acts.

    Habría que is impersonal, so it presents thinking as necessary without assigning it to one person.

  6. justin is the one speaking. The moment means: What would you have done?

    ¿Tú qué habrías hecho?

    What would you have done?

    When to use it: Hand a past what-if to someone else and ask for their version of events.

    Qué before habrías invites an open answer about an action, not a yes-or-no response.

Story — the corner spot

Watch the table examine one fork from several angles: direct advice, an unlikely if, regret, and hesitation.

The highlighted words are today's lines. Yako contributes in his own way. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Late afternoon. Michael sits down with three coffees and a story.
  2. MeganCuéntaselo, Michael. Le ofrecieron el local de la esquina.Tell him, Michael. They offered you the corner place.
  3. MichaelUn segundo café. Era buena oferta, pero dije que no.A second café. It was a good offer, but I said no.
  4. Megan¿Tú qué habrías hecho, Justin?What would you have done, Justin?
  5. JustinUf. Yo que tú ya lo habría tomado.Wow. If I were you, I'd have taken it by now.
  6. Megan¿Sin pensarlo dos veces?Without thinking twice?
  7. JustinSi pudiera, firmaría hoy mismo. Pero no es mi dinero.If I could, I'd sign today. But it's not my money.
  8. MichaelEse es el punto. El crédito me daba miedo.That's the point. The loan scared me.
  9. JustinDe haberlo sabido, habría hablado contigo antes de decidir.Had I known, I'd have talked with you before deciding.
  10. Megan¿Crees que hiciste mal, Michael?Do you think you did wrong, Michael?
  11. MichaelNo sé. Todavía no lo sé.I don't know. I still don't know.
  12. JustinYo tampoco. No lo tengo tan claro.Me neither. I'm not so sure.
  13. MeganHabría que pensarlo, con calma.It'd need some thought, calmly.
  14. MichaelHabría que ver. La esquina sigue vacía.We'd have to see. The corner is still empty.
  15. Yako raises a hoof from his two chairs, as if he has a serious business opinion.
  16. YakoSi hubiera sabido, habría pedido otro pan dulce.If I'd known, I'd have ordered another sweet bread.
  17. JustinEso no ayuda, Yako.That doesn't help, Yako.
  18. YakoYo solo reflexiono. El local está muy cerca de aquí.I'm just reflecting. The place is very close to here.
  19. MichaelLa próxima oferta la platicamos todos antes, prometido.Next offer we all talk it over first, promised.

Practice — would-have questions

Eight exercises let you listen, match, choose, fill, swap, spot, and build.

The frames keep their blanks, so focus on the move each line makes before supplying the ending.

0 of 8 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    No lo tengo tan claroDrop the English here
    Habría que pensarloDrop the English here
    Habría que verDrop the English here
    Si hubiera sabido, ___Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Spanish, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    A friend turned down an apartment you loved. Tell him that in his place, you'd have signed by now.

  4. Fill the gap

    Had I known, I'd have ___

    De haberlo ____, ___

  5. What do you say?

    Working from anywhere isn't possible for you yet. A friend asks what you'd do if it were.

  6. Swap the word

    Megan wants to ask about what someone actually did back then, not about an idea they had.

    ¿Tú qué habrías ____?

  7. Find the mistake

  8. Build the line

    I'm not so sure

    Tap the words in order.

Say it — your turn to wonder

Now you're Justin, and Megan wants your take on the corner place. Tap the microphone when it's your turn.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the model line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. MeganTe voy a platicar algo. Le ofrecieron a Michael un local en la esquina.Let me tell you something. They offered Michael a place on the corner.
  2. Justin (you)Ask her what she would have done.

    ¿Tú qué habrías hecho?

    What would you have done?

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
Yo que tú ya lo habría ___If I were you, I'd have ___ by now
Si pudiera, ___If I could, I'd ___
De haberlo sabido, ___Had I known, I'd have ___
No lo tengo tan claroI'm not so sure
Habría que pensarloIt'd need some thought
¿Tú qué habrías hecho?What would you have done?
Next: lesson 211Even so

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these what-if lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and rehearse the whole fork anywhere.

A daily round with the Yak Cards keeps your habría and your si pudiera ready at the table.

Open Yak Cards