The use of vouloir in the conditional

Question

I am never 100% certain in the use of the conditional tense. In the sentence « What would you like today » your hint was to use  ‘vouloir’ in the present. Ok, although when I see « would » my brain automatically thinks ‘the conditional’. I stuck with the present for Mme M’s reply, but I see that you’ve said « je voudrais quatre croissants svp ». I’m surmising that this is Mme M being polite and that for the person behind the counter to say « Qu’est-ce que vous voudriez aujourd’hui » is OTT as Mme M is known to them ?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Anita,
In French, in this context (i.e. asking someone what someone would like), using Le Présent is the most idiomatic way. Using Le Conditionnel sounds quite formal. When replying, you can use both Le Conditionnel (which does sound a bit formal but not OTT) or Le Présent.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !