habría

Habría is a Spanish verb form that functions primarily as the conditional form of the auxiliary verb haber. It does not act as a full lexical verb on its own, but it is essential for forming certain tenses and expressing hypothetical or uncertain situations. In addition, when used impersonalmente, habrá de or habría there would be can express existence in a hypothetical sense, as in there would be problems.

Grammatically, habr- is the stem used in the conditional mood for haber: yo habría, tú habrías, él habría, nosotros habríamos, vosotros habríais, ellos habrían. When combined with a past participle, it forms the conditional perfect, meaning would have plus a past action: habría hecho, habría dicho, habría comido. This construction is common in conditional clauses or when imagining alternate outcomes.

Usage examples illustrate its different functions. For hypothetical results in if clauses, a typical pattern is Si + past perfect subjunctive in the if clause and habría + participle in the main clause: Si hubieras venido, habría terminado antes. In a simple hypothetical present or future sense, one can say: Habría problemas si no llega a tiempo, meaning “There would be problems if he doesn’t arrive on time.” The semi-auxiliary phrase habría de + infinitive expresses a notion of expectation or obligation in a hypothetical or narrative past sense: Aquel día habría de ocurrir un cambio.

In summary, habría is the conditional form of haber used to create the conditional perfect and to express hypothetical existence and obligations in a formal or imaginative register. It is distinct from the imperfect subjunctive form hubiera/hubiese, which marks different mood and time.