Le conditionnel

Le Conditionnel

Le conditionnel présent (the conditional present) is used to indicate what would or could happen, and to make a polite request.

Hypothetical Conditions

Le conditionnel présent is used to indicate a hypothetical situation (what would or could happen). It is often used in a sentence that contains a si (if) clause. For example:

Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison.

If I were rich, I would buy a house.

Polite Requests or Wishs

The conditionnel présent is also used to indicate a wish or to make a polite request.

Vouloir is very commonly used in the conditionnel présent to make polite requests, and in these cases it can be translated as 'would like'.

Pouvoir is also very commonly used in the conditionnel présent to make requests and is often used where 'could' is used in English.

Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.	I would like a coffee, please.
Pourriez-vous m’aider avec mes bagages?	Could you help me with my luggage?

Advice and Suggestions

Devoir is often used in the conditionnel présent when giving advice or making suggestions, in which case it means 'should'.

Tu devrais étudier plus souvent.

You should study more often.

Predicting Future Events from a Past Perspective

The conditionnel présent is used when a future prediction is made from the perspective of the past.

Elle pensait qu’elle réussirait l’examen.

She thought she would pass the exam.

Creating the Conditionnel Présent

For -er and -ir verbs, the conditionnel présent uses the infinitive form for the stem plus the same endings as used by the imperfect tense. For -re verbs, the condtional tense uses the infinitive minus the final e plus the same endings that the imperfect tense uses. the following tables show the full conjugation for each class of verb.

Regular -er verb conjugation

Parler (to speak)

je	parlerais
tu	parlerais
il/elle/on	parlerait
nous	parlerions
vous	parleriez
ils/elles*	parleraient

Regular -ir verb conjugation

Finir (to finish)

je	finirais
tu	finirais
il/elle/on	finirait
nous	finirions
vous	finiriez
ils/elles	finiraient

Regular -re verb conjugation

vendre (to sell)

je	vendrais
tu	vendrais
il/elle/on	vendrait
nous	vendrions
vous	vendriez
ils/elles	vendraient

Si j’avais plus d’espace, je achèterais une table.	If I had more space, I would buy a table.
Nous aimerions visiter Paris cet été.	We would like to visit Paris this summer.
Vous choisiriez un autre hôtel si vous connaissiez les prix.	You would choose another hotel if you knew the prices.
Elle perdrait moins de temps si elle s'organisait mieux.	She would waste less time if she organized herself better.
Tu finirais ton projet si tu avais plus de temps.	You would finish your project if you had more time.
Ils vendraient leur maison s'ils déménageaient à Paris.	They would sell their house if they moved to Paris.
Je finirais mes devoirs si j'avais plus de temps.	I would finish my homework if I had more time.

Irregular Verb Conjugations

Several common verbs are irregular in the conditional tense. These verbs use the same irregular stem that is used by for the future simple plus the imparfait endings. The following table shows how these verbs are conjugated.

Verb (Infinitive)	Stem	Example	Meaning
aller (to go)	ir-	irais	I would go
avoir (to have)	aur-	aurais	I would have
devoir (to owe to)	devr-	devrais	I should
Être (to be)	ser-	serais	I would be
faire (to do/make)	fer-	ferais	I would do/make
falloir (to be necessary)	faudr-	Il faudrait	It would be necessary
pouvoir (to be able)	pourr-	pourrais	I would be able
savoir (to know)	saur-	saurais	I would know
tenir (to hold)	tiendr-	tiendrais	I would hold
venir (to come)	viendr-	viendrais	I would come
voir (to see)	verr-	verrais	I would see
vouloir (to want)	voudr-	voudrais	I would want

Examples

Je voudrais un billet pour Paris.	I would like a ticket to Paris.
Nous devrions arriver dix minutes avant le rendez-vous.	We should arrive ten minutes before the appointment.
Il devrait faire attention à ce qu'il dit.	He should be careful about what he says.
Pourriez-vous me passer le sel, s'il vous plaît ?	Could you pass me the salt, please?
Je devrais aller au magasin.	I should go to the store.
S’il faisait beau demain, nous irions à la plage	If the weather were nice tomorrow, we would go to the beach.
Elles viendraient à la fête si elles n'étaient pas malades.	They would come to the party if they weren't sick.
If you looked closer, you would see it better.	Si tu regardais de plus près, tu le verrais mieux.
Nous tiendrions sa main pendant la cérémonie.	We would hold his hand during the ceremony.