Verbs: Conditional Mood

01

Formation: Regular Verbs

To form the conditional, you use the future stem of the verb and add the imperfect endings.

The endings are identical for all verbs:

• -ais (je)
• -ais (tu)
• -ait (il/elle/on)
• -ions (nous)
• -iez (vous)
• -aient (ils/elles)

For regular verbs ending in -er and -ir, the future stem is simply the infinitive form of the verb.

• Je parlerais anglais.

  I would speak English.

• Nous finirions le projet.

  We would finish the project.

For regular verbs ending in -re, you must drop the final e from the infinitive before adding the endings.

• Tu vendrais ta maison ?

  Would you sell your house?

• Ils attendraient le bus.

  They would wait for the bus.

02

Irregular Stems

Many common verbs have irregular stems in the conditional. These are the exact same irregular stems used in the simple future tense. While the stem changes, the endings remain regular.

Common irregular stems include:

• être (to be) becomes ser-
• avoir (to have) becomes aur-
• aller (to go) becomes ir-
• faire (to do/make) becomes fer-
• voir (to see) becomes verr-
• pouvoir (to be able to) becomes pourr-
• devoir (to have to) becomes devr-
• venir (to come) becomes viendr-

• Il serait content de te voir.

  He would be happy to see you.

• J'irais au cinéma.

  I would go to the movies.

• Nous aurions plus de temps.

  We would have more time.

03

Usage: Politeness

One of the most frequent uses of the conditional is to soften requests, questions, or desires. Using the present tense can sound demanding or abrupt, whereas the conditional sounds polite and respectful. This is most commonly used with vouloir (to want), aimer (to like), and pouvoir (can/to be able to).

• Je voudrais un verre d'eau.

  I would like a glass of water.

• Pourriez-vous m'aider ?

  Could you help me?

• J'aimerais poser une question.

  I would like to ask a question.

04

Usage: Hypothetical Situations

The conditional is used to express what would happen if a specific condition were met. This is often found in "Si clauses" (If clauses).

The structure is: Si + Imperfect Tense (the condition) + Conditional (the result).

Note that the conditional is never used directly after si.

• Si j'avais de l'argent, je voyagerais.

  If I had money, I would travel.

• S'il faisait beau, nous sortirions.

  If the weather were nice, we would go out.

• Si tu étudiais, tu réussirais.

  If you studied, you would succeed.

05

Usage: Giving Advice

You can use the conditional form of devoir (to have to) to give advice or suggest a course of action. This translates to the English should.

• Tu devrais dormir plus.

  You should sleep more.

• Vous ne devriez pas fumer.

  You should not smoke.

06

Usage: Future in the Past

When narrating events in the past, the conditional is used to express an action that was in the future at that moment in the past. This is common in reported speech.

• Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

  He said that he would come.

• Je savais qu'elle appellerait.

  I knew that she would call.

07

Usage: Unverified Information

In journalism and media, the conditional is often used to report facts that are not yet confirmed. It implies "allegedly," "reportedly," or "it is said that."

• Le président serait malade.

  The president is reportedly sick.

• L'accident aurait fait deux blessés.

  The accident allegedly caused two injuries.