Conditional

Overview

Present: [subject] [conditional conjugation]

Past: [subject] [conditional of avoir or être] [past participle]

Suffixes

• je: -ais
• tu: -ais
• il/elle: -ait
• nous: -ions
• vous: -iez
• ils/elles: -aient

Regular Conjugation (present)

Ending in -er: add the suffix to the infinitive.

Ending in -ir: add the suffix to the infinitive.

Ending in -re: remove the trailing -e and add the suffix.

• donner: je donnerais, tu donnerais, il donnerait, nous donnerions, vous donneriez, ils donneraient.
• bâtir: je bâtirais. tu bâtirais, il bâtirait, nous bâtirions, vous bâtiriez, ils bâtiraient.
• rendre: je rendrais, tu rendrais, il rendrait, nous rendrions, vous rendriez, ils rendraient.

Irregular Verbs (present)

The verbs that have irregular stems for the Futur Simple have the same irregular stems in the conditional tense.

• aller (to go): ir-
• avoir (to have): aur-
• devoir (must, ought): devr-
• envoyer (to send) enverr-
• être (to be): ser-
• faire (to do, make): fer-
• pouvoir (to be able): pourr-
• recevoir (to receive): recevr-
• savoir (to know): saur-
• venir (to come): viendr-
• voir (to see): verr-
• vouloir (to want, wish): voudr-

Examples

• Je voudrais parler avec le gérant. (I would like to speak with the manager.)
• Si j’avais assez d’argent, j’irais en Italie. (If I had enough money, I would go to Italy.)

Conjugation (past)

acheter (to buy):

• j’aurais acheté (I would have bought)
• tu aurais acheté (you would have bought)
• il/elle aurait acheté (he/she would have bought)
• nous aurions acheté (we would have bought)
• vous auriez acheté (you would have bought)
• ils/elles auraient acheté (they would have bought)

revenir (to return, come back):

• je serais revenu(e) (I would have returned)
• tu serais revenu(e) (you would have returned)
• il/elle serait revenu/revenue (he/she would have returned)
• nous serions revenu(e)s (we would have returned)
• vous seriez revenu(e)(s) (you would have returned)
• ils/elles seraient revenu(e)s (they would have returned)

Examples

• Je n’aurais jamais fait cela. (I would never have done that.)
• Nous serions arrivés à temps si elle n’était pas venue en retard. (We would have arrived on time if she had not come late.)