MoodsB2 · Upper intermediate
Le conditionnel présent
The conditional expresses hypotheticals, politeness, and "would". Build it from the same stem as the futur simple (the infinitive, with the irregular stems), plus the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.\n\nje parlerais, tu ferais, il irait…\n\nA classic use is the si-clause of unreal conditions: si + imparfait, … conditionnel. Si j'avais le temps, je voyagerais. It also softens requests: Je voudrais un café.
Examples
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je voudrais réserver une table. | I would like to book a table. |
| Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison. | If I were rich, I would buy a house. |
| Nous pourrions partir demain. | We could leave tomorrow. |
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