“What Would You Do? Learning the Conditional Tense in French.”

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Understanding the Conditional Tense in French

 .Are you curious about expressing hypothetical situations or polite requests in French? Learning the conditional tense in French is essential for conveying these nuances with finesse. Whether you’re planning to study in France, communicate with French-speaking colleagues, or simply enhance your language skills, mastering the conditional tense opens up a world of possibilities. Dive into this guide to understand the rules, usage, and subtle intricacies of the French conditional tense.

How to Form the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is formed by taking the future stem of the verb and adding the imperfect endings. The endings are the same for all verbs:

• Je (I) : -ais
• Tu (You) : -ais
• Il/Elle/On (He/She/One) : -ait
• Nous (We) : -ions
• Vous (You, formal/plural) : -iez
• Ils/Elles (They) : -aient
  
  

Examples

Parler (to speak)

• Je parlerais (I would speak) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh par-luh-ray” – ज़ह पर-लुह-रे
• Tu parlerais (You would speak) – Pronunciation: “Too par-luh-ray” – तू पर-लुह-रे
• Il/Elle parlerait (He/She would speak) – Pronunciation: “Il/El par-luh-ray” – इल/एल पर-लुह-रे
• Nous parlerions (We would speak) – Pronunciation: “Noo par-luh-ree-ohn” – नू पर-लुह-री-ओं
• Vous parleriez (You would speak, formal/plural) – Pronunciation: “Voo par-luh-ree-ay” – वू पर-लुह-री-ए
• Ils/Elles parleraient (They would speak) – Pronunciation: “Il/El par-luh-ray” – इल/एल पर-लुह-रे

Finir (to finish)

• Je finirais (I would finish) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh fee-nee-ray” – ज़ह फी-नी-रे
• Tu finirais (You would finish) – Pronunciation: “Too fee-nee-ray” – तू फी-नी-रे
• Il/Elle finirait (He/She would finish) – Pronunciation: “Il/El fee-nee-ray” – इल/एल फी-नी-रे
• Nous finirions (We would finish) – Pronunciation: “Noo fee-nee-ree-ohn” – नू फी-नी-री-ओं
• Vous finiriez (You would finish, formal/plural) – Pronunciation: “Voo fee-nee-ree-ay” – वू फी-नी-री-ए
• Ils/Elles finiraient (They would finish) – Pronunciation: “Il/El fee-nee-ray” – इल/एल फी-नी-रे

Vendre (to sell)

• Je vendrais (I would sell) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh vahn-dray” – ज़ह वाँ-द्रे
• Tu vendrais (You would sell) – Pronunciation: “Too vahn-dray” – तू वाँ-द्रे
• Il/Elle vendrait (He/She would sell) – Pronunciation: “Il/El vahn-dray” – इल/एल वाँ-द्रे
• Nous vendrions (We would sell) – Pronunciation: “Noo vahn-dree-ohn” – नू वाँ-द्री-ओं
• Vous vendriez (You would sell, formal/plural) – Pronunciation: “Voo vahn-dree-ay” – वू वाँ-द्री-ए
• Ils/Elles vendraient (They would sell) – Pronunciation: “Il/El vahn-dray” – इल/एल वाँ-द्रे
  
  

Conditions and Exceptions

Irregular Verbs: Some verbs have irregular future stems. Here are a few common ones:

• Avoir (to have): J’aurais (I would have) – Pronunciation: “Zho-ray” – ज़ो-रे
• Être (to be): Je serais (I would be) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh suh-ray” – ज़ह सुह-रे
• Aller (to go): J’irais (I would go) – Pronunciation: “Zhee-ray” – ज़ी-रे
• Faire (to do/make): Je ferais (I would do/make) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh fuh-ray” – ज़ह फुह-रे
• Voir (to see): Je verrais (I would see) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh veh-ray” – ज़ह वे-रे
  
  

Importance of the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is essential for:

1.Politeness: Using the conditional makes requests and offers more polite.

Example: “Pourriez-vous m’aider?” (Could you help me?)
– Pronunciation: “Poor-ree-ay voo meh-day” – पूर-री-ए वू मे-द

2.Hypothetical Situations: Discussing what would happen under certain conditions.

Example: “Si j’avais de l’argent, je voyagerais.” (If I had money, I would travel.)
– Pronunciation: “See zhah-vay duh lar-zhah(n), zhuh vwoy-ah-zhuh-ray” – सी ज़ह-वे दु लार-ज़ाँ, ज़ह व्वोय-आ-झुह-रे

3.Future in the Past: Expressing future intentions from a past perspective.

Example: “Il a dit qu’il viendrait.” (He said he would come.)
– Pronunciation: “Il ah dee keel vyen-dray” – इल आ दी कील व्यें-द्रे

Identifying the Conditional Tense in a Sentence

To identify the conditional tense in a sentence, look for verbs conjugated with the future stem and imperfect endings. These verbs typically express politeness, hypothetical situations, or future events from a past perspective.

Funny Example

Imagine this scenario for a bit of humor:

A student tells their teacher: “Si j’étais un super-héros, je finirais mes devoirs en une seconde!” (If I were a superhero, I would finish my homework in one second!) – Pronunciation: “See zhuh-teh uh(n) soo-pehr-ay-roh, zhuh fee-nee-ray may duh-vwahr ah(n) uhn suh-gohnd!” – सी ज़ह-ते ऊं सू-पेह-ए-रो, ज़ह फी-नी-रे मे दु-व्वार आँ ऊं सुह-गोंड

WANT TO LEARN MORE ?

Mastering the conditional tense will significantly enhance your ability to communicate nuances in French. Ready to take your French skills to the next level? Join our A2 French course at the Learn Language Store today and start your journey to fluency!