{"id":120163,"date":"2024-05-14T10:42:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T14:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-conditional-tense\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T04:44:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T09:44:14","slug":"french-conditional-tense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-conditional-tense\/","title":{"rendered":"The French Conditional Mood: Usage, Formation and Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

In English, when we speak in the conditional mood, we use helping verbs like “would” and “could.” In French, you need to use a whole new conjugation to evoke the same meaning.<\/p>\n

Rather than being a tense that expresses when, the French conditional is a mood that expresses events that aren’t guaranteed to occur<\/strong>\u2014i.e., events that depend on certain conditions to come true (hence the term “conditional”).<\/p>\n

Here’s a guide with a few tricks to master the French conditional.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n

How to Form French Conditional Conjugations<\/h2>\n

One of the first things you need to learn when approaching the conditional is how to conjugate it. There’s a fairly easy rule and\u2014for once\u2014no exceptions!<\/p>\n

To form the conditional in French, you must start with the future simple tense<\/a> root<\/strong>. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Verb Group<\/th>Example<\/th>Conditional Form<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1st<\/td>parler<\/em>
\nspeak<\/td>		parler-<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2nd<\/td>choisir<\/em>
\nchoose<\/td>		choisir-<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3rd<\/td>descendre<\/em>
\nvisit<\/td>		descendr-<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Notice that, in all verb groups, the root is the same as the infinitive (although the final “e” is dropped in the third group).<\/p>\n

As you might know, there are several irregular roots<\/a> in the future simple. These irregular roots are the same in the conditional. You only have to add the same endings as with the imperfect<\/a>\u2014like the ones below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French Irregular Verbs<\/th>avoir<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nhave<\/th>		savoir<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nknow<\/th>		\u00eatre<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nbe<\/th>		faire<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\ndo\/make<\/th>		voir<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nsee<\/th>		aller<\/em><\/strong>
\ngo<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Je<\/em><\/strong>
\nI
\nTu<\/em><\/strong>
\nYou (singular)<\/td>		aurais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		saurais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		serais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		ferais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		verrais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		irais<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il<\/em><\/strong>
\nHe
\nElle<\/em><\/strong>
\nShe
\nOn<\/em><\/strong>
\nWe
\n<\/td>		aurait<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		saurait<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		serait<\/strong><\/em>
\n <\/td>		ferait<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		verrait<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		irait<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nous<\/em><\/strong>
\nWe<\/td>		aurions<\/strong><\/em>
\n <\/td>		saurions<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		serions<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		ferions<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		verrions<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		irions<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vous<\/em><\/strong>
\nYou (plural)<\/td>		auriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		sauriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		seriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		feriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		verriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		iriez<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ils<\/em><\/strong>
\nThey (masculine)
\nElles<\/em><\/strong>
\nThey (feminine)<\/td>		auraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		sauraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		seraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		feraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		verraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>		iraient<\/strong><\/em>
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

In all of the entries, the translation of the verbs would be “would + present form of verb”\u2014e.g., aurais<\/em> means “would have”.<\/p>\n

And that’s it! Much simpler than you expected, right? If you know the imperfect and the future simple, you’re more than halfway there. All you need to learn now is when it’s appropriate to use\u00a0the conditional.<\/p>\n

When to Use the French Conditional<\/h2>\n

The conditional mood is generally taught by exploring\u00a0si <\/strong><\/em>(if) clauses first. There are three\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clauses in French<\/a>, which is one of the times the French conditional is used. It’s the principal way to use it, which is why it’s important to master this first before moving on to other ways the conditional can be used.<\/p>\n

Si + Present, Future Simple<\/h3>\n

The first si\u00a0<\/em>clause doesn’t actually use the conditional mood at all, so it’s a great place\u00a0to introduce the form without having to remember all those new conjugations just yet:<\/p>\n

Si j’ai le temps, je t’appellerai.<\/em> (If I have time, I’ll call you.)<\/p>\n

This\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clause expresses certain actions taken in the future should an event occur in the present. It implies that the present action is nearly certain, thus the use of the future instead of the conditional.<\/p>\n

Si + Imperfect, Conditional<\/h3>\n

Si j’avais le temps, je t’appellerais.<\/em> (If I had time, I would call you.)<\/p>\n

This\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clause expresses actions that are based entirely on a condition. It’s implied that the action is possible but not certain.<\/p>\n

Si + Pluperfect, Past Conditional<\/h3>\n

Si j’avais eu le temps, je t’aurais appel\u00e9. <\/em>(If I’d had time, I would’ve called you.)<\/p>\n

This\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clause expresses a certain amount of regret. It’s the idea that “should have” or “could have” expresses in English.<\/p>\n

As you can see from the above sentence, the past conditional is quite easy to form once you know the conditional and the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/em> (perfect tense<\/a>).\u00a0Like the pluperfect<\/a> or plus-que-parfait, <\/em>the past conditional is made up of the conditional of the auxiliary verb<\/a> (\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0avoir<\/em>, depending on the lexical verb) and the past participle of the lexical verb.<\/p>\n

Aside from the\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clauses (which are the principal use of the conditional in French), you can also use the conditional to express politeness<\/strong>, particularly with verbs expressing desire, like the following.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
French Verbs Expressing Desire<\/th>vouloir<\/em>
\n
\nwant<\/th>		d\u00e9sirer<\/em>
\n
\nwant<\/th>		aimer<\/em>
\n
\nlove<\/th>		pouvoir<\/em>
\n
\ncan<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Present Simple Tense<\/td>Je veux un sandwich.<\/em>
\n
\nI want a sandwich.<\/td>		Je d\u00e9sire un caf\u00e9.<\/em>
\n
\nI want a coffee.<\/td>		J'aime le cin\u00e9ma.<\/em>
\n
\nI like the movie theater.<\/td>		Peux-tu me donner un stylo ?<\/em>
\n\u00a0
\nCan you give me a pen?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Conditional Form<\/td>Je voudrais<\/strong> un sandwich.<\/em>
\n\u00a0
\nI would like a sandwich.<\/td>		Je d\u00e9sirerais<\/strong> un caf\u00e9.<\/em>
\n
\nI would like a coffee.<\/td>		J'aimerais<\/strong> venir au cin\u00e9ma avec vous.<\/em>
\n
\nI would like to come to the cinema with you.<\/td>		Pourrais<\/strong>-tu me donner un stylo ?<\/em>
\n\u00a0
\nCould you give me a pen?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

You can also use the conditional to give advice. For example, let’s use devoir<\/em><\/strong> (must):<\/p>\n

Tu dois faire tes devoirs tout de suite. <\/em>(You must do your homework right now.)
\nTu devrais<\/strong> faire tes devoirs tout de suite. <\/em>(You should do your homework right now.)<\/p>\n

When to Not Use the French Conditional<\/h2>\n

Laid out in this way, the conditional seems quite simple, but heads up! There are a few common mistakes made when using the conditional, even by native French speakers.<\/p>\n

Don’t use the conditional with all<\/em>\u00a0verbs to “be polite”<\/h3>\n

One of the key mistakes made when using the conditional in French is overusing the politeness aspect of the conditional. Some learners assume that because the conditional makes a sentence more polite, it makes\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>sentences more polite and therefore end up writing entire emails to their boss or teacher in the conditional.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, applying the conditional to any and all sentences doesn’t make them more polite. The politeness aspect of the conditional should really only be used with verbs expressing desire (e.g., vouloir, aimer, d\u00e9sirer<\/em>) or with verbs that incite action from the other person (e.g., pouvoir\u00a0<\/em>or devoir<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Other than these verbs, err on the side of caution when considering the conditional to express politeness.<\/p>\n

Don’t use the conditional immediately\u00a0after si<\/em><\/h3>\n

Another mistake commonly made by French people is using the conditional on both sides of the si\u00a0<\/em>clause:<\/p>\n

*Si j’aurais su, je l’aurais fait. <\/em>(*If I would had known, I’d have done it.)<\/p>\n

Instead, say\u00a0Si j’avais su, je l’aurais fait.<\/em> (If I had known, I would have done it.)<\/p>\n

You should never use the conditional immediately after si<\/em>.\u00a0This error stems from the fact that, as with much of modern French parlance, words are being dropped from oral French. The\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>of the\u00a0si\u00a0<\/em>clause is one of these, and without the\u00a0si,\u00a0<\/em>some people overcorrect and use the conditional twice.<\/p>\n

If you’re practicing French immersion<\/a> to improve your French, you may hear this when speaking with your French friends. And if you’re attempting to sound as French as possible<\/a>, you might be tempted to copy them. Resist the urge!\u00a0This use of the conditional is wrong and shouldn’t become a habit, even in conversation.<\/p>\n

How to Practice the French Conditional<\/h2>\n

Now that you know all about the French conditional, you\u2019re ready to try it out! The key to learning about this form is to practice, practice, practice.<\/p>\n

Speak the example sentences in this post out loud. Write them down on flashcards and practice them again in a week, then again in two weeks. Look for it in vlogs, TV series and other videos that use everyday French.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to wait until you come across the word in native content, though. Just use FluentU<\/a> to find the conditional in authentic videos.<\/p>\n

\r\nFluentU takes real-world videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOther sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach<\/strong> that helps you ease into the French language and culture over time. You\u2019ll learn French as it\u2019s actually spoken by real people.\r\n

\r\nFluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews and web series, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive subtitles.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-movies\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFor example, if you tap on the word \"crois,\"<\/em> you'll see this:\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-french-with-movie-trailers\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nPractice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with FluentU's adaptive quizzes.<\/strong> Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you\u2019re learning and play the mini-games found in the dynamic flashcards, like \"fill in the blank.\"\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"practice-french-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nAs you study, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you\u2019re learning and uses this information to give you a 100% personalized experience.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIt gives you extra practice with difficult words\u2014and reminds you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\n

 <\/p>\n

Already comfortable with the conditional? Then go ahead and practice it in actual conversations with French speakers. You might also want to include it anytime you’re practicing your French writing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve learned the proper ways to use and conjugate the conditional, you’ll be well on your way to mastering this advanced French mood.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In English, when we speak in the conditional mood, we use helping verbs like “would” and “could.” In French, you need to use a whole new conjugation to evoke the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":249021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"The French Conditional Mood: Usage, Formation and Tips | FluentU French Blog","description":"The French conditional mood\u2014also known (inaccurately) as the French conditional tense\u2014can add so much more depth to the way you express yourself in French once you master it. Read this post to find out what it is, how to form it, how to use (and not to use) it and a handy resource to master it."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,580],"tags":[],"coauthors":[275],"class_list":["post-120163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french","category-french-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120163"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244880,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120163\/revisions\/244880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120163"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=120163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}