French Grammar
Tenses & Moods
15 articlesVerb Groups
4 articlesVerb Forms
4 articlesGrammar Structures
4 articlesConditionnel PrésentA2B1Present Conditional
The conditionnel présent is used to describe hypothetical actions, polite requests, wishes, or future actions from a past perspective.
- Je voudrais de l'aide.
- I would like some help.
- Si je pouvais, je viendrais.
- If I could, I would come.
- Je ferais un rapport si j’avais le temps.
- I would make a report if I had the time.
- Je parlerais au client si nécessaire.
- I would speak to the client if necessary.
- Je devrais être en réunion toute la journée.
- I should be in a meeting all day.
Formation
Stem: Use the full infinitive for regular verbs (e.g., parler → parler-; finir → finir-). For irregular verbs (often in the 3rd group), use a modified stem (e.g., prendre → prendr-; être → ser-). Same as for Futur simple.
Endings: Add these endings to the stem:
- -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
Conjugation Table
| Pronoun | Ending | parler (to speak) | finir (to finish) | prendre (to take) | être (to be) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | je parlerais | je finirais | je prendrais | je serais |
| tu | -ais | tu parlerais | tu finirais | tu prendrais | tu serais |
| il/elle | -ait | il/elle parlerait | il/elle finirait | il/elle prendrait | il/elle serait |
| nous | -ions | nous parlerions | nous finirions | nous prendrions | nous serions |
| vous | -iez | vous parleriez | vous finiriez | vous prendriez | vous seriez |
| ils/elles | -aient | ils/elles parleraient | ils/elles finiraient | ils/elles prendraient | ils/elles seraient |
Irregular Stems for Conditionnel Présent
| Verb | Infinitive | Irregular Stem | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| être | to be | ser- | je serais | I would be |
| avoir | to have | aur- | j’aurais | I would have |
| aller | to go | ir- | j’irais | I would go |
| venir | to come | viendr- | je viendrais | I would come |
| faire | to do/make | fer- | je ferais | I would do |
| prendre | to take | prendr- | je prendrais | I would take |
| tenir | to hold | tiendr- | je tiendrais | I would hold |
| pouvoir | to be able | pourr- | je pourrais | I would be able |
| savoir | to know | saur- | je saurais | I would know |
| voir | to see | verr- | je verrais | I would see |
| vouloir | to want | voudr- | je voudrais | I would want |
| recevoir | to receive | recevr- | je recevrais | I would receive |
| devoir | to have to | devr- | je devrais | I would have to |
Those stems are the same as for Futur simple.