The present conditional tense, Le Conditionnel Présent, is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes and desires.
If I were rich, I would travel.
Learn how to conjugate verbs in Le Conditionnel Présent in French
In Le Conditionnel Présent, you always use the same stem as the one used in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) followed with L'Imparfait (Indicatif) endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).
In practice, it works as follows:1 - -ER and -IR verbs retain their infinitives as stems
Est-ce que tu choisirais l'écharpe noire ou la bleue ?Would you choose the black scarf or the blue one?
2- -DRE and -RE verbs drop the -e at the end of their infinitives
Nous ne boirions que de l'eau si nous étions raisonnables.We would only drink water if we were reasonable.
3- Verbs with irregular stems in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) keep the same irregular stem in Le Conditionnel Présent
Je voudrais une part de tarte aux pommes, s'il vous plaît.I would like a slice of apple tart, please.
Mélanie recevrait ses amies à dîner si elle ne vivait pas dans un studio.Mélanie would have her friends over for dinner if she didn't live in a studio.
Si nous gagnions au loto, nous achèterions une maison au bord de la mer.If we won the lottery, we would buy a house by the sea.
See also the following lessons on Le Conditionnel Présent:
Conjugate être in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)
Conjugate faire in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)
Conjugate aller in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)
Conjugate devoir in the conditional present in French = should (Le Conditionnel Présent)
Conjugate pouvoir in the conditional present in French = could (Le Conditionnel Présent)
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Examples and resources
Conjugate most French verbs in the conditional present (Le Conditionnel Présent)
Penser with conditionnel
Hi,
I had a doubt regarding this statement :
Je pense que tu vendrais facilement ta maison.
Shouldn't statements with penser/croire etc only be followed by indicatif in the positive or subjonctif in the negative? In what cases can we use conditionnel? I would think this particular sentence should use vendre in the future tense. So:
Je pense que tu vendras facilement ta maison.
Please let me know.
Thanks and regards
Roopa
Hi Roopa,
Just to add to what Jim said, you can say both but it depends on the situation.
Je pense que tu vendras facilement ta maison = I think you will sell your house easily
( that house is up for sale )
Je pense que tu vendrais facilement ta maison = I think you would sell your house easily
( that house isn't for sale at the moment but should you decide to do so it would sell easily.
Bonne Continuation !
Bonjour Roopa,
I read the story as a comment as to what could easily happen that is that the property could easily sell or would easily sell.
The person commenting is not in a position to say what will happen only what could/would happen in a speculative sense.
Hope this helps.
Bonne journée
Jim
Penser with conditionnel
Hi,
I had a doubt regarding this statement :
Je pense que tu vendrais facilement ta maison.
Shouldn't statements with penser/croire etc only be followed by indicatif in the positive or subjonctif in the negative? In what cases can we use conditionnel? I would think this particular sentence should use vendre in the future tense. So:
Je pense que tu vendras facilement ta maison.
Please let me know.
Thanks and regards
Roopa
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Factors that went into Lawless French classifying the Conditional as a mood in it's own right.
After all this time learning French l decide today to develop an English/French go-to chart for translation purposes.
All of a sudden, the conditional tense sitting in the indicative mood in my little Bescherelle conjugaison book looks out of place. Why is it there, in a mood that expresses facts and certainties, things that definitely happened?
A little research in Bescherelle, on the web and here surface the fact that the Conditional in French is often classified as a mood unto itself (as in Lawless French) due to it's hypothetical expressions; and that more often, today, "pour des raisons de forme et de sens"(Bescherelle p.140), as a tense under the imperative. An example given for the latter is that "aurait" , conditional present, equates the future present transposed into the past. So interesting! I had not seen this before.
I wonder, what went into Lawless French's decision to classify the Conditional as a mood apart instead of as under the Indicative mood? Either works , l am just curious.
Bonjour Scout - thanks for the great question.
In my mind, it's very simple. Tenses describe when something happens: past, recent past, present, etc.
The indicative mood talks about factual actions.
The conditional describes if something happens, hypothetical actions. I just don't see how that can possibly be considered part of the indicative.
I can't speak for Laura and her site, but I, too, think of it as a mood. In particular, since the conditional comes in a present and past tense version.
Factors that went into Lawless French classifying the Conditional as a mood in it's own right.
After all this time learning French l decide today to develop an English/French go-to chart for translation purposes.
All of a sudden, the conditional tense sitting in the indicative mood in my little Bescherelle conjugaison book looks out of place. Why is it there, in a mood that expresses facts and certainties, things that definitely happened?
A little research in Bescherelle, on the web and here surface the fact that the Conditional in French is often classified as a mood unto itself (as in Lawless French) due to it's hypothetical expressions; and that more often, today, "pour des raisons de forme et de sens"(Bescherelle p.140), as a tense under the imperative. An example given for the latter is that "aurait" , conditional present, equates the future present transposed into the past. So interesting! I had not seen this before.
I wonder, what went into Lawless French's decision to classify the Conditional as a mood apart instead of as under the Indicative mood? Either works , l am just curious.
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Why imparfait in the si clause?
In a sentence with a main clause and a si clause, the first uses the conditionell and the second the imparfait. For example, Je partirais si j'avais une voiture. Would it not make more sense to use the conditionelle for the si clause as well? After all, it also expresses a hypothetical situation. Why the different modes in the main clause and the si clause?
Hi Bert,
I am afraid it is very wrong in French and often used as an example of bad French by comics :
below spoken by a child in a well-known film -
https://jaimelesmots.com/ben-mon-vieux-si-jaurais-su-jaurais-pas-vnu/
As to why it's just the way it is, I believe it is the same in English, but am prepared to be corrected if I am wrong.
Thanks Cécile!
Cécil is correct: conditional sentences are one of the few instances that follow the same pattern in English and French.
If I knew, I would tell you. -- Si je le savais, je te dirais.
Why imparfait in the si clause?
In a sentence with a main clause and a si clause, the first uses the conditionell and the second the imparfait. For example, Je partirais si j'avais une voiture. Would it not make more sense to use the conditionelle for the si clause as well? After all, it also expresses a hypothetical situation. Why the different modes in the main clause and the si clause?
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A very good revision
Thanks Aurelie. This is much easier to follow.
Thank you for your kind comment Maarten, which I will pass on to Aurélie ...
A very good revision
Thanks Aurelie. This is much easier to follow.
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Words in conditional
Hi
I came across these three sentences and I was wondering why I got them wrong?
The president is reportedly in Brazil today
Le président serait au Brasil aujourd'hui is the answer I'm confused as to why is reportedly is using serait?
The director will reportedly sign the contract le director signerait let contrat is the answer again why is will reportedly using signerait?
It would be prettier if there were more flowers
Ce serait s'il y avait plus de fleurs is the answer again here they used serait as would be prettier. Why is that?
Thanks for the help in advance
Nicole
Your first two examples are interesting. I hadn't heard of this before, but apparently it's the "conditionnel de rumeur" or "conditionnel journalistique". It's used to express unconfirmed information, so it could be translated as "reportedly". I suppose it's a bit like reported speech, e.g. "I was told that the president would be in Brazil today".
You can find some more explanation here:
https://www.intermarkls.com/single-post/2015/02/10/The-French-They-Never-Taught-You-7-The-Conditional-Doesnt-Always-Mean-Would
But your last example is just the normal use of the conditional. The English "would be prettier" is translated as "serait plus joli". (You missed out "plus joli", but I guess that was just a typo). "Serait" is the conditional form of the verb "être".
Thank you for your help
Words in conditional
Hi
I came across these three sentences and I was wondering why I got them wrong?
The president is reportedly in Brazil today
Le président serait au Brasil aujourd'hui is the answer I'm confused as to why is reportedly is using serait?
The director will reportedly sign the contract le director signerait let contrat is the answer again why is will reportedly using signerait?
It would be prettier if there were more flowers
Ce serait s'il y avait plus de fleurs is the answer again here they used serait as would be prettier. Why is that?
Thanks for the help in advance
Nicole
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Inversion in conditional
Hi
I have a question I'm learning about the inversion in the conditional present and I was wondering about these two sentences?
Why do you not conjugate passer?
(Could we) passer Chez vous après le spectacle? Pourrions- nous is the answer
But with this sentence
(Would he) signer cette pétition? Signerait- il would be the answer
I'm very confused and help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I think I can see your problem here and it is not the inversion of subject and verb.
Could = verb pouvoir in the conditional
Would = any verb in the conditional
Pourriez-vous me passer le sel SVP ? = Could you pass me the salt, please
Me passeriez-vous le sel SVP ? = Would you pass me the salt, please?
Pourrais-tu me donner l'adresse de Marie ? = Could you give Marie's address?
Me donnerais-tu l'adresse de Marie ? = Would you give me Marie's address?
Hope this helps!
Oh my God Cecile thank you so much it definitely explains a lot more now thank you again!!
Inversion in conditional
Hi
I have a question I'm learning about the inversion in the conditional present and I was wondering about these two sentences?
Why do you not conjugate passer?
(Could we) passer Chez vous après le spectacle? Pourrions- nous is the answer
But with this sentence
(Would he) signer cette pétition? Signerait- il would be the answer
I'm very confused and help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Nicole
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Why does this lesson even talk about irregular verbs, since the title is "regular verbs"?
This is the first lesson I've run across that is confusing, so that's pretty darn good! There are no examples of third person plural except the irregular one, so a novice has no idea what the third person plural rule is for regular verbs. Please update so make it clear that aient is indeed the ending for regular as well as irregular verbs (maybe by using a regular verb as the example since this page is supposed to be about regular verbs). Thanks.
Bonjour Robert !
Thank you very much for pointing that lesson to us. Indeed, it needed some love and care, to make it clearer :) Thanks to you, it's now done!
I hope it's helpful :)
Merci encore et bonne journée !
Why does this lesson even talk about irregular verbs, since the title is "regular verbs"?
This is the first lesson I've run across that is confusing, so that's pretty darn good! There are no examples of third person plural except the irregular one, so a novice has no idea what the third person plural rule is for regular verbs. Please update so make it clear that aient is indeed the ending for regular as well as irregular verbs (maybe by using a regular verb as the example since this page is supposed to be about regular verbs). Thanks.
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Conjugate regular verbs in Le Conditionnel
Are there verbs that don't follow the structured outline noted here - 'stem' from future simple conjugation, 'endings' from past imperfect conjugation? I think that I have not yet (early days) come across a verb that does not conjugate in the conditional in accordance with these simple 'rules' and having this clarified could/should/would make it much easier to remember. Even for irregular verbs it seems to me that if you know the imparfait and the future simple (both of which are also pretty consistent with 'endings' but not the stems) you have all you need to know the conditional.
Hi,
I am not sure I fully understand your query Maarten, but most irregular verbs , avoir, être, aller, faire, savoir, pouvoir , venir, mettre etc. will be irregular in most tenses and moods.
The important thing about learning how to form the conditional is to remember how to form the future and as it is very similar in that it starts with the stem taken from the infinitive (that is why you have so many -r sounds) in both tenses and just add the relevant endings.
You have to learn the irregular verbs separately.
Also remember -
Would = any verb in the conditional -------> j'achèterais , je prendrais, je serais, j'aurais, etc..
Should = Devoir in the conditional ----> Je devrais
Could = Pouvoir in the conditional ----> je pourrais
Hope this helps!
Did you really believe that there wouldn't be exceptions to this rule in French? Well, one can dream :)
There are, of course, irregular verbs that behave, well, irregularly in the subjunctive:
(Infinitive) -- (Subjunctive) -- (Imparfait) -- (Futur simple)
pouvoir -- je puisse -- je pouvais -- je pourrai
savoir -- je sache -- je savais -- je saurai
faire -- je fasse -- je faisais -- je ferais
.... and many more.
As far as I know, there are no exceptions. (@Chris - the conditional, not the subjunctive.)
Thanks for the reply Chris. The joys of subjunctives are yet to confront me. I am referring only to the conditional present, as the lesson covers. My main query is why the lesson heading is for regular verbs, but then 'aller' is introduced? That aside, after checking the examples you gave, I still see only 2 rules for conjugating the conditional present - regular verbs use infinitive + imparfait form endings, while irregular verbs use the irregular stem from future, with the imparfait endings. If that is correct, knowing the present conditional conjugations is easier, as it relies on previous knowledge, rather than being a new set of verbs 'to learn'.
Hi Cécile,
The point is that having learnt the future tense of the irregular verbs, you already know how to form the conditional, because they are irregular in the same way. The conditional can always be formed from the future stem, whether it is regular or not.
Thanks everyone. As Alan notes, the point that while they are irregular, they are still predictable means that the learning of imparfait/future/conditional forms is not the learning of 3 sets of verbs with fully separate rules, but rather they are overlapping, and that makes it easier to learn. If I got to conditional, and read that I already knew how to conjugate this because I had previously learnt imparfait and future, and here is the simple pattern all follow (at least it still seems true to me, and Alan(?)), my spirits would definitely rise. (Of course, it works once you know any 2 of the three, but the order here is the way the lessons took me through them).
Conjugate regular verbs in Le Conditionnel
Are there verbs that don't follow the structured outline noted here - 'stem' from future simple conjugation, 'endings' from past imperfect conjugation? I think that I have not yet (early days) come across a verb that does not conjugate in the conditional in accordance with these simple 'rules' and having this clarified could/should/would make it much easier to remember. Even for irregular verbs it seems to me that if you know the imparfait and the future simple (both of which are also pretty consistent with 'endings' but not the stems) you have all you need to know the conditional.
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je voudrais v j'aimerais. Aren't these interchangeable?
In a recent test, the answer required was "mes parent aimeraient ce qu'on se marie" and the response "'voudraient'' was not accepted. Aren't either regularly used to mean "'would like?" I think technically the former is would like and the latter is would want, but that seems pretty subtle. For example, in ordering food "'Je voudrais avoir . . . .''
Yes, they largely mean the same thing. It's a question of how strictly the test is graded.
je voudrais v j'aimerais. Aren't these interchangeable?
In a recent test, the answer required was "mes parent aimeraient ce qu'on se marie" and the response "'voudraient'' was not accepted. Aren't either regularly used to mean "'would like?" I think technically the former is would like and the latter is would want, but that seems pretty subtle. For example, in ordering food "'Je voudrais avoir . . . .''
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question from quiz: “ commencerions” (out of context!)
correct answer is:
“Nous commencerions à cinq heures si nos patrons nous laissait faire”.
Pourquoi pas: “si nos patrons nous laissait LE faire”.?
Hi Marnie,
You can say both :
"...si nos patrons nous laissaient faire" = "...if our bosses allowed us"
"...si nos patrons nous laissaient le faire = "...if our bosses allowed us to do it"
Not much difference in meaning...
question from quiz: “ commencerions” (out of context!)
correct answer is:
“Nous commencerions à cinq heures si nos patrons nous laissait faire”.
Pourquoi pas: “si nos patrons nous laissait LE faire”.?
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J'achèterais v J'achèterai
I notice that Madelein has asked the exactly same question that I was going to ask. However, I'm still confused over this ... so if "I would buy a house" is translated as "J'achèterai une maison" how would you then translate "I will buy a house"
Cécil has a knowledged the problem already here:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/questions/view/i-would-buy-a-house-in-the-contryside
J'achèterais v J'achèterai
I notice that Madelein has asked the exactly same question that I was going to ask. However, I'm still confused over this ... so if "I would buy a house" is translated as "J'achèterai une maison" how would you then translate "I will buy a house"
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Answer should be in conditional tense?
In the excersise 'If I could start over' I translated the phrase 'I would buy a house in the country' as 'J'acheterais une maison dans la campagne' and I got the following correction from Kwizbot: 'J'achèterai une maison à la campagne,' I know I didn't get the accent or preposition right, but why is the Kwizbot answer giving the verb in future tense instead of in the present conditional?
Cécile has acknowledged the problem already here:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/questions/view/i-would-buy-a-house-in-the-contryside
Thank you
Answer should be in conditional tense?
In the excersise 'If I could start over' I translated the phrase 'I would buy a house in the country' as 'J'acheterais une maison dans la campagne' and I got the following correction from Kwizbot: 'J'achèterai une maison à la campagne,' I know I didn't get the accent or preposition right, but why is the Kwizbot answer giving the verb in future tense instead of in the present conditional?
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Might be
Hi Michael,
In French to convey the possibility of something happening can be translated in many different ways, often very simply by adding peut-être-
For Present possibility: use the verb in the present + peut-être
Vous avez peut-être raison = you might be right
Je vais peut-être venir avec vous = I might come with you
For future possibility: use the verb in the future + peut-être
Il va peut-être se rappeler plus tard = He might remember later
Il regrettera peut-être sa décision = He might regret his decision
For past possibilities: use the verb in a past tense + peut-être
Nous n'avons peut-être pas tout compris= We might not have understood everything.
C'était peut-être une erreur = It might have been a mistake
When might is used to convey a very polite request: use the conditional of 'pouvoir':
Pourrais-je faire une demande? = Might I make a request?
Also might (meaning could) for suggestions, using the conditional.
Vous pourriez essayer le restaurant en haut de la rue= you might try the restaurant up the road
Je pensais que nous pourrions y aller ensemble= I thought we might go there together
To convey the idea of should have : using the conditional past.
J'aurais dû m'en douter = I might have known
Hope this helps!
Hi Michael,
I think you are thinking of 'Il se pourrait que '+ subjunctive 'which translates as may or might (be that).
e.g.
Il se pourrait que je vienne avec vous. (It is possible I may come with you)
Il se pourrait que vous deviez prendre ce médicament jusqu'à la fin de vos jours. (You may have to take this medicine till the end of your life.)
Hope this helps!
Might be
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In the test one of the questions is Je ________ si j'avais une voiture.
The answer to the question is Je partirais si j'avais une voiture.
However, my question is about "j'avais une voiture." Why is it j'avais (imparfait) and not j'ai une voiture, considering that its in the present? Is this related to the subjunctif? Cause I have a feeling this has to do with the subjunctif :D
HI Gio,
even though the subjunctive rears its head in many unsuspected places, he is not to blame for this one.
The example you quote is a "si"-sentence introducing a possibility. It dictates the use of very specific times and modi: the conditional in the main clause and the imperfect in the si-clause.
Je partirais si j'avais une voiture. -- I would leave if I had a car.
You see the same kind of construction in the English translation: a conditional (would leave) in the main clause and the imperfect (had) in the main clause. The use of the imperfect has nothing to do with the action being set in the past. It is used here -- in conjunction with the conditional -- to express a possibility.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
In the test one of the questions is Je ________ si j'avais une voiture.
The answer to the question is Je partirais si j'avais une voiture.
However, my question is about "j'avais une voiture." Why is it j'avais (imparfait) and not j'ai une voiture, considering that its in the present? Is this related to the subjunctif? Cause I have a feeling this has to do with the subjunctif :D
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Passé Simple + Conditionnel Présent
What an interesting question!
In this case, Le Conditionnel Présent is used as "the past of the future", to express an action in the past, BUT that occurred AFTER the action expressed in Le Passé Simple (décida).
Here Pompidou decided to build the centre BEFORE this centre would allow to combine all these other departments.
Le Conditionnel Passé here would make it an unrealised hypothesis ("qui aurait permis" = which would have allowed...), so it couldn't work here.
I hope that's helpful!
Passé Simple + Conditionnel Présent
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