Conditionnel présent

Foreign Languages

Definition

The conditionnel présent is the French conditional tense, used to express what someone would do, make polite requests, or describe hypothetical situations. It is formed by adding imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the future tense stem.

Examples

  • 'Je voudrais un café' (I would like a coffee) — polite request using 'vouloir.'
  • 'Si j'avais le temps, je voyagerais' (If I had time, I would travel).
  • 'Pourriez-vous m'aider?' (Could you help me?) — formal polite question.
Key Fact

Formation: future stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient). Irregular stems are the same as futur simple (e.g., avoir → aur-, être → ser-).

Related Terms

Conditional tense Futur simple Imparfait basics Polite expressions

Study This Concept

Practice conditionnel présent with free review games in these units:

French 1-2 Unit 12: Future and Conditional