Usage of conditional present
The conditional allows the expression of facts the fulfillment of which is conditional. It is usually introduced in a sentence with a "si".
S'il pleuvait plus souvent, la pelouse serait plus verte.
J'aimerais qu'il vienne nous rendre visite.
The endings of conditional present
The present conditional is formed on the basis of the simple future but with the endings of the imperfect. We thus find all the irregularities and exceptions of the future.
For instance, verb "aller" at future: J'ir-ai. Verb "aller" in conditional: J'ir-ais.
| Person | Verb of 1st group | Verb of 2nd group | Verb of 3rd group |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | radical + erais | radical + irais | radical + rais |
| tu | radical + erais | radical + irais | radical + rais |
| il/elle/on | radical + erait | radical + irait | radical + rait |
| nous | radical + erions | radical + irions | radical + rions |
| vous | radical + eriez | radical + iriez | radical + riez |
| ils/elles | radical + eraient | radical + iraient | radical + raient |
| 1st group | 2nd group | 3rd group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| raconter | finir | partir | |
| Je | raconterais | finirais | partirais |
| Tu | raconterais | finirais | partirais |
| Il | raconterait | finirait | partirait |
| Nous | raconterions | finirions | partirions |
| Vous | raconteriez | finiriez | partiriez |
| Ils | raconteraient | finiraient | partiraient |
For verbs of the 1st group in "-ouer", "-uer", "-ier", "-éer", do not forget to put a "e" even if there is no sound.
je jouerais - tu créerais
Irregular conditional present
Like in the future, some verbs are irregular. Some verbs are taking a grave accent "è" in their conjugations: j'achèterais.
Other verbs are doubling the consonant: j'appellerais / je jetterais.
Verbs in "-oyer", "-uyer" and "-iyer" change their "y" into a "i" (with the exception of "envoyer" and "renvoyer"):
- Nettoyer ==> je nettoierais
- Appuyer ==> j'appuierais
- Envoyer ==> j'enverrais
Verbs in "-ayer" can be written with both "y" or "i" :
- Essayer ==> j'essaierais or j'essayerais
- In the present conditional, the endings are the same as that of the imperfect with the same radical as in the simple future.
- For verbs of 1 st and 2nd groups, the whole infinitive verb is preserved.