French Conditional: The Essential Would & Could Guide

What is the French Conditional?

The conditional in French expresses actions that would happen under certain circumstances or could happen in hypothetical situations.

It's also used for polite requests, similar to "would" and "could" in English.

Present Conditional Formation

Take the future stem + imperfect endings: je (stem)ais - I would tu (stem)ais - you would il/elle (stem)ait - he/she would nous (stem)ions - we would vous (stem)iez - you would ils/elles (stem)aient - they would

Common Regular Examples:

1. Parler (to speak) → je parlerais
2. Finir (to finish) → tu finirais
3. Vendre (to sell) → il vendrait

Important Irregular Stems:

• Être → ser- (je serais)
• Avoir → aur- (j'aurais)
• Aller → ir- (j'irais)
• Faire → fer- (je ferais)

Common Uses

Making Polite Requests

1. "Je voudrais un café" (I would like a coffee)

• Uses "voudrais" for politeness rather than "veux" (I want)

2. "Pourriez-vous m'aider?" (Could you help me?)

• Uses conditional of "pouvoir" for a courteous request

Expressing Hypotheticals

1. "Si j'avais le temps, je voyagerais plus" (If I had time, I would travel more)

• Uses conditional to show what would happen in an imaginary scenario

2. "Que feriez-vous à ma place?" (What would you do in my place?)

• Uses conditional to explore a hypothetical situation

Giving Advice

1. "Tu devrais dormir plus" (You should sleep more)

• Uses conditional of "devoir" for suggestions

2. "Il faudrait partir tôt" (We/One should leave early)

• Uses impersonal conditional for general recommendations

Key Phrases Using Conditional

Polite Expressions

1. "J'aimerais..." (I would like...)
2. "Ce serait..." (It would be...)
3. "Pourriez-vous..." (Could you...)

Hypothetical Situations

1. "Si j'étais riche..." (If I were rich...)
2. "À ta place..." (In your place...)
3. "Sans toi..." (Without you...)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don't use conditional after "si" in if-clauses Incorrect: "Si je serais..." Correct: "Si j'étais..."

2. Remember irregular stems Incorrect: "Je fairais..." Correct: "Je ferais..."

The conditional is your friend for being polite and exploring "what if" scenarios in French.

Practice these forms in real conversations to build natural fluency.