How to say “What would you do?” in Spanish naturally

Introduction

Asking hypothetical questions is a powerful way to practice Spanish conversation and express curiosity about another person’s choices. This article explains how to say What would you do in Spanish naturally, shows common variations, and gives clear examples for everyday situations. You will learn useful verbs, polite forms, and phrases to sound like a native speaker.

Basic translation: conditional with hacer

The simplest literal way to say What would you do is with the verb hacer in the conditional: ¿Qué harías? This form uses the conditional tense to express hypothetical actions directed at the person you are asking. It is common and very natural in Spanish.

Example:

¿Qué harías si te ofrecieran un trabajo en otra ciudad?
What would you do if you were offered a job in another city?

Usage note: Use harías with familiar you (tú). For polite or plural forms see the next section.

Polite and plural forms

Spanish requires different verb forms depending on formality and number. To ask politely or address someone you do not know well, use the conditional of hacer with usted: ¿Qué haría usted? For plural familiar in Spain, use vosotros or ustedes depending on region.

Examples:

¿Qué haría usted en mi lugar?
What would you do in my position? (formal)

¿Qué haríais vosotros si ganaseis la lotería?
What would you do if you won the lottery? (familiar plural, Spain)

¿Qué harían ustedes si tuvieran más tiempo libre?
What would you do if you had more free time? (plural, Latin America or polite plural)

Alternative verbs: hacer vs. hacer en concreto

While hacer is the most direct verb, Spanish speakers often use other verbs depending on context to sound more natural. For choices involving decisions, use decidir, with ¿Qué decidirías? However, this is less common than ¿Qué harías? For actions that involve reacting or responding, use responder or actuar.

Examples:

Si tu coche se rompe en la autopista, ¿qué harías?
If your car breaks down on the highway, what would you do?

Ante esa situación difícil, ¿qué decidirías?
Faced with that difficult situation, what would you decide?

Si alguien te insulta en público, ¿cómo actuarías?
If someone insults you in public, how would you act?

Common natural phrasings and variations

Native speakers use a range of natural phrasings to ask What would you do. Some are more conversational, some more formal. Familiarize yourself with these to match tone and context.

Common variations:

¿Qué harías? — Basic and versatile.
¿Qué harías tú? — Adds emphasis on you.
¿Qué haría usted? — Formal.
¿Qué crees que harías? — What do you think you would do? Useful when asking for an opinion.
¿Cómo reaccionarías? — How would you react? When focusing on reaction rather than action.

Using conditional with si clauses (if clauses)

Many hypothetical questions include conditional si clauses. The typical structure pairs the conditional tense in the main clause with the imperfect subjunctive in the si clause for unlikely or imaginary situations: Si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional. For familiar situations you can also use si + present, conditional.

Examples (classic hypothetical):

Si tuviera más dinero, ¿qué harías?
If you had more money, what would you do?

Si fueras el alcalde, ¿qué cambiarías?
If you were the mayor, what would you change?

Usage note: The imperfect subjunctive forms are irregular in many verbs (e.g., fuera, tuviera). These give the sentence a hypothetical or counterfactual meaning.

Contextual phrasing: emergencies, advice, and plans

How you ask What would you do changes with context. Below are practical templates and examples for different situations.

Emergencies and safety:

En caso de emergencia, ¿qué harías?
In case of emergency, what would you do?

Seeking advice:

Si fueras yo, ¿qué harías?
If you were me, what would you do? This is a common way to ask for personal advice.

Discussing plans or hypothetical future:

Si te mudas al extranjero, ¿qué harías primero?
If you move abroad, what would you do first?

Shorter, more colloquial ways

In casual conversation, Spanish speakers sometimes shorten the question or use set expressions. These are great to sound natural among friends.

Colloquial examples:

¿Y tú qué harías?
And what would you do? Adding tú gives a friendly emphasis.

¿Qué harías tú en mi caso?
What would you do in my case?

No sabes qué harías hasta que… is a phrase meaning you do not know what you would do until… used when describing unpredictable situations.

Asking about past hypotheticals (what would you have done)

To ask what someone would have done in the past under different circumstances, Spanish uses the perfect conditional. The phrase becomes ¿Qué habrías hecho? This asks about actions that did not happen but could have occurred.

Examples:

Si hubieras sabido la verdad, ¿qué habrías hecho?
If you had known the truth, what would you have done?

Usage note: The perfect conditional is formed with conditional of haber plus past participle (habrías hecho, habría cambiado).

Negative and emphatic forms

To emphasize or to frame the question negatively, Spanish adds negation or emphasis words. These help you express disbelief, surprise, or urgency.

Negative emphasis:

¿Qué no harías por un billete de avión gratis?
What would you not do for a free plane ticket?

Emphatic phrasing:

Entonces, ¿qué harías, de verdad?
So, what would you do, really? Adds emphasis and invites a sincere answer.

Mini dialogues showing natural use

Short dialogues are helpful because they show how these questions appear in conversation. Below are short, natural exchanges you might hear.

Dialogue 1 — Advice between friends:
A: Me ofrecieron una beca para estudiar fuera.
B: ¿Y qué harías? Te interesa mucho el programa.
A: Sí, pero dejaría a mi familia. Estoy indecisa.

Dialogue 2 — Reacting to a surprise situation:
A: Encontré una cartera en la calle con mucho dinero.
B: ¿Qué harías? Llevarla a la policía o quedártela?
A: La llevaría a la policía, seguro.

Common mistakes and tips

Beginners often confuse conditional forms or forget to match formal/informal pronouns. Keep these tips in mind to avoid common errors.

Tip 1: Match formality. Use harías for tú, haría for usted, haríamos for we, harían for ustedes/they.

Tip 2: Use imperfect subjunctive in si clauses for hypothetical scenarios. Incorrect: Si tendría dinero, incorrect form. Correct: Si tuviera dinero, ¿qué harías?

Tip 3: Remember perfect conditional for past hypotheticals: ¿Qué habrías hecho si…? Not ¿Qué habrías hacer? which is incorrect.

Useful vocabulary and verbs to pair with ¿Qué harías?

Here are verbs and expressions that frequently appear with questions about choices and hypotheticals. Learn these to expand your options beyond harías.

decidir — to decide
actuar — to act
reaccionar — to react
resolver — to resolve
cambiar — to change
aceptar/rechazar — to accept/reject
asesorar — to advise (used when asking for advice from professionals)

Example combining vocabulary:

Si fueras mi asesor financiero, ¿qué decidirías hacer con mis ahorros?
If you were my financial advisor, what would you decide to do with my savings?

Practical practice tips

To internalize these structures, incorporate them into daily Spanish use. Try imagining scenarios and asking friends or language partners these questions. Record yourself and compare with native audio if possible.

Practice activities to try in conversation:

Ask hypothetical questions about movies, books, or news stories to practice natural phrasing.
Use formal and informal versions to build awareness of tone.
Create mini dialogues where you role-play giving or asking for advice using conditional forms.

Summary of key forms

Quick reference to the most useful phrases discussed:

¿Qué harías? — What would you do? (informal)
¿Qué haría usted? — What would you do? (formal)
¿Qué haríais vosotros? — What would you do? (familiar plural, Spain)
¿Qué harían ustedes? — What would you do? (plural, Latin America)
Si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional — Si tuviera, haría
¿Qué habrías hecho? — What would you have done? (past hypothetical)

Conclusion

Asking What would you do in Spanish is easy once you master the conditional with hacer and learn a few variations for formality and context. Use ¿Qué harías? for informal situations, ¿Qué haría usted? for formal, and ¿Qué habrías hecho? for past hypotheticals. Practice with real scenarios and short dialogues to sound natural and confident.