How to use the Present Conditional

If you’ve been to France or have been watching a few French TV shows, you’ve surely encountered le conditionnel (conditional).

• Est-ce que je pourrais avoir un café, s’il vous plait ? = Could I have a coffee, please?
• Aimeriez-vous commander un apéritif ? = Would you like to order an aperitif?

In these examples, the present conditional is used to express a suggestion or make a request. It is less direct and more polite than the imperative or the present. It is also very useful to know the conditional for French conversation.

Table of content :

• How do we form the conditional present in French ?
• When do we use the present conditional ?

First, it is formed with the stem of the verb to the futur simple and the endings of the imparfait.

Note : -ais, -ait and -aient are pronounced exactly the same

And good news ! The irregular verbs in conditional are the same than in the futur simple.

Moreover, to learn and review all your irregular verbs, I recommend you to use a Bescherelle.

We use firstly the conditional to make a request less brutal.

• Je veux un verre d’eau = I want a glass of water (a bit rude)
• Je voudrais un verre d’eau = I would like a glass of water

• Vous pouvez m’aider = Can you help me ? (just neutral)
• Vous pourriez m’aider = Could you help ?  (more polite)

• Avez-vous des pains au chocolat = Do you have chocolate croissants ?
• Auriez-vous des pains au chocolat = Would you have chocolate croissants ?

We can also use le conditionnel with DEVOIR and FAIRE MIEUX.

• Tu ne devrais pas aller si souvent au McDonalds = You shouldn’t go to McDonalds so often

• A ta place, j’emménagerais dans un autre quartier moins bruyant = If I were you I would move in to another area less noisy

• Nous habiterions à Tahiti et nous pécherions toute la journée = We would live in Tahiti and would go fishing all day long.

It’s just a dream at the moment, not the reality.

We use the conditional a lot in the medias.

• Le president arriverait demain matin au Caire = The president would arrive tomorrow morning in Cairo (not yet confirmed)

With Si + Imparfait > Conditionnel

• Si je gagnais au loto, je ferais un tour du monde = If I won the lottery, I’d go around the world
• J’irais le voir si j’avais assez de temps = I’d go to see him if I had the time

Finally, le conditional can be seen with Pourquoi est-ce que + negative conditional

• Pourquoi est-ce ne nous partirions pas faire du ski ?
• Pourquoi ne prendrions-nous pas aussi des pains aux raisins ?

Would you like to review the future tense or the imparfait ? Feel free to browse more articles in my blog or get in touch !