An instruction that applies only when a stated condition is met.
A conditional instruction links a situation to an action. The action is not automatically required at every moment. A delivery instruction can allow a neighbour to receive a parcel only when the recipient is absent. A repair instruction can require a call before work begins. Keep the condition attached to the action in your notes, rather than copy each as an unrelated sentence.
Si no estoy, llámeme. — If I am not there, call me.
A common confusion
Si is not sí. Without the accent, si introduces if in these examples. With the accent, sí means yes. Audio context and the rest of the sentence help distinguish their roles. A future action can also remain conditional after a firm-sounding verb. If the required condition never occurs, the action may never happen.
Use it in a listening note
Draw a branch with one action for the condition being true and another for the stated fallback. Leave the second branch empty if no fallback is supplied. Your decision tree should reflect the recording, not a familiar routine from your own experience.
Practise this term
- A parcel delivery in Spanish: permission, condition, and fallback
- A repair estimate in Spanish: inspection is not permission to repair
- Hotel arrival in Spanish: code, entrance, and key location
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Cite this page
Jibber Jabber. “Conditional instruction.” Spanish Fieldnotes. Updated 9 November 2026. https://spanishcomprehensibleinput.com/glossary/conditional-instruction/