Le conditionnel
How to express hypothetical situations and polite requests with the conditional.
The rule
The conditional expresses hypothetical situations, polite requests, and what would happen under certain conditions. It's formed by adding the imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the future stem of the verb.
It's commonly used for politeness (Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît — more polite than "je veux"), and in "si" clauses expressing hypothetical outcomes: Si j'avais plus de temps, je voyagerais davantage (If I had more time, I would travel more).
The structure for hypothetical si-clauses is: si + imparfait, ... conditionnel — never si + conditionnel.
Examples
-
Je voudrais réserver une table.I would like to book a table.
-
Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais une maison.If I had money, I would buy a house.
-
Elle aimerait visiter le Japon.She would like to visit Japan.
-
Nous pourrions partir demain.We could leave tomorrow.
-
Que feriez-vous à ma place ?What would you do in my place?
-
Il devrait s'excuser.He should apologize.
Common mistakes
-
Si j'aurais de l'argent, j'achèterais une maison.Si j'avais de l'argent, j'achèterais une maison.
After "si" in a hypothetical, use the imparfait, never the conditional — the conditional only goes in the result clause.
-
Je voudrai un café.Je voudrais un café.
"Voudrai" is the simple future; the polite request needs the conditional "voudrais".
-
Il devrait s'excuse.Il devrait s'excuser.
After a conjugated modal verb like "devoir", the following verb stays in the infinitive.
