French Conditionnel
The conditionnel is the French "would" tense. It's used for politeness, hypotheses, and reported speech. Formation is mechanical once you know the futur and the imparfait.
How to form it
Take the simple stem and add the imparfait endings.
| Person | Ending |
|---|---|
| -ais | |
| -ais | |
| / / on | - |
| -ions | |
| -iez | |
| / | - |
These are exactly the same endings as the imparfait. The stem is what tells you it's the conditionnel: the stem is the future stem, the endings come from the imparfait.
(stem = parler-):
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| / | |
| / |
(stem = finir-): je finirais, tu finirais, il finirait...
(stem = prendr-, dropping the final -e): je prendrais, tu prendrais, il prendrait...
The irregular stems
The same eleven as the future. Memorise them once.
| Verb | Stem | Conditionnel form |
|---|---|---|
| aur- | j' | |
| ser- | ||
| ir- | j' | |
| - | ||
| saur- | ||
| pourr- | ||
| verr- | ||
| viendr- | ||
| voudr- | ||
| devr- | ||
| faudr- |
If you can form the futur, you can form the conditionnel by swapping the endings.
Use 1: politeness
The biggest day-to-day use. The conditionnel softens any request or statement.
- . (I want a coffee.) -> . (I'd like a coffee.)
- - m'? (Can you help me?) -> - m'? (Could you help me?)
- J' d'. (Awkward direct.) -> J' d'. (I'd like some water.)
- ? -> ? (Could you close the door?)
Two phrases to drill into memory:
- ... (I would like...) - for ordering and requesting things
- J'... (I would like / I would love to...) - slightly warmer, for hopes and preferences
Both are conditionnel forms (vouloir -> voudr- + -ais; aimer -> aimer- + -ais). They're the politeness layer of French.
Use 2: hypotheses
The conditionnel pairs with + imparfait to express what would happen under a hypothetical condition.
- j' , j' Italie. (If I had time, I would go to Italy.)
- , '- ? (If you were rich, what would you do?)
- on partait , on . (If we left now, we would arrive early.)
The structure: + imparfait in the condition, conditionnel in the result. Never use the conditionnel after itself - "si je serais" is wrong; the right form is j'.
Use 3: reported speech
When you report what someone said in the future, the future shifts back to the conditionnel.
- Direct: a : " ." (He said: "I will come.")
- Reported: a ' . (He said he would come.)
The shift is automatic - the conditionnel is to the past what the futur is to the present.
A small register note
The conditionnel of translates as "should":
- . (You should rest.)
- . (I should leave.)
- . (You should try.)
This is one of the most common uses of devoir at any level - the conditionnel turns "must" into "should", which softens any advice.
Worked examples
- croissant , s' . (I would like a croissant and a coffee, please.)
- - me ? (Could you tell me where the station is?)
- j' plus , . (If I had more time, I would read more.)
- a promis ' . (She promised she would write.)
- . (You should see a doctor.)
- . (That would be a good idea.)
- J' à Tokyo . (I'd like to go to Tokyo one day.)
Common mistakes English speakers make
Using the conditionnel after : is wrong, it's j' . The hypothesis goes in the imparfait, the result in the conditionnel. Confusing the conditionnel and imparfait forms (they share endings): is imparfait, is conditionnel - listen for the -er- in the stem. And using in shops or restaurants: it's grammatical but blunt; is the polite default everywhere in French life.
See also
- The future tense page covers the futur simple and shares the irregular stems.
- The imparfait page covers the imparfait, whose endings the conditionnel borrows.
- The intermediate French grammar page covers the conditionnel passé (would have) and the full si-clause system.