The conditional mood describes what would happen, what you would do, and polite requests in French.
Formation
Form the conditional by adding endings to the infinitive or stem for irregular verbs. Use the same endings that appear in the imparfait.
| Person | Ending | French Ending | French Ending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Sing. | -ais | je parlerais | je finirais | |
| 2nd Sing. | -ais | tu parlerais | tu finirais | |
| 3rd Sing. | -ait | il/elle parlerait | il/elle finirait | |
| 1st Plur. | -ions | nous parlerions | nous finirions | |
| 2nd Plur. | -iez | vous parleriez | vous finiriez | |
| 3rd Plur. | -aient | ils/elles parleraient | ils/elles finiraient |
She would speak with him if she had the time.
Usage
Use the conditional to express what would happen, give advice, soften requests, and show politeness. It can also signal a hypothesis when paired with the conditional past.
Key Verbs
Some common verbs have irregular stems in the conditional. Learning these helps you sound natural and plan ahead.
| English Verb | French Verb | Conditional Stem | English Verb | French Verb | Conditional Stem | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to want | vouloir | voudr- | to come | venir | viendr- | |
| to be able to | pouvoir | pourr- | to see | voir | verr- | |
| to know (fact) | savoir | saur- | to send | envoyer | enverr- | |
| to receive | recevoir | recevr- | to die | mourir | mourr- | |
| to have | avoir | aur- | to return | revenir | reviendr- | |
| to be | être | ser- | to hold | tenir | tiendr- | |
| to go | aller | ir- | to rain | pleuvoir | pleuvr- | |
| to make/do | faire | fer- | — | — | — |
Examples
Summary
The conditional mood shows what would happen and makes speech more polite. Form it by adding imparfait endings to the infinitive or an irregular stem, and learn key irregulars for fluency.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025