Conjugate most French verbs in the conditional present (Le Conditionnel Présent)

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-03-24

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The present conditional tense, Le Conditionnel Présent, is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes and desires.

If I were rich, I would travel.

Learn how to conjugate verbs in Le Conditionnel Présent in French

In Le Conditionnel Présent, you always use the same stem as the one used in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) followed with L'Imparfait (Indicatif) endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).

In practice, it works as follows:

1 - -ER and -IR verbs retain their infinitives as stems

Je danserais toute la nuit si je le pouvais !I would dance all night if I could!

Est-ce que tu choisirais l'écharpe noire ou la bleue ?Would you choose the black scarf or the blue one?

Il le mangerait s'il avait encore faim.He would eat it if he was still hungry.

Nous aimerions étudier le français.We would like to study French.

Vous finiriez votre travail si vous n'étiez pas paresseux.You would finish your work if you weren't lazy.

Ils partiraient plus tard s'ils ne travaillaient pas demain.They would leave later if they didn't work tomorrow.

2- -DRE and -RE verbs drop the -e at the end of their infinitives

Je répondrais si je connaissais la réponse.I would reply if I knew the answer.

Je pense que tu vendrais facilement ta maison.I think that you'd sell your house easily.

Il prendrait l'avion s'il en avait les moyens.He would take the plane if he could afford it.

Nous ne boirions que de l'eau si nous étions raisonnables.We would only drink water if we were reasonable.

Vous perdriez votre tête si elle n'était pas attachée à votre cou !You would lose your head if it wasn't attached to your neck!

Elles vivraient sous la mer si elles pouvaient être des sirènes.They would live under the sea if they could be mermaids.

3- Verbs with irregular stems in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) keep the same irregular stem in Le Conditionnel Présent

Je voudrais une part de tarte aux pommes, s'il vous plaît.I would like a slice of apple tart, please.

Tu viendrais si ton ex n'était pas là ?Would you come if your ex wasn't there?

Mélanie recevrait ses amies à dîner si elle ne vivait pas dans un studio.Mélanie would have her friends over for dinner if she didn't live in a studio.

Si nous gagnions au loto, nous achèterions une maison au bord de la mer.If we won the lottery, we would buy a house by the sea.

Vous sauriez qui est responsable si vous étiez restés jusqu'au bout.You would know who's responsible if you'd stayed until the end.

Ils verraient mieux s'il n'y avait pas autant de brouillard.They would see better if it wasn't so foggy.

See also the following lessons on Le Conditionnel Présent:

Conjugate être in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)

Conjugate faire in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)

Conjugate aller in the conditional present in French (Le Conditionnel Présent)

Conjugate devoir in the conditional present in French = should (Le Conditionnel Présent)

Conjugate pouvoir in the conditional present in French = could (Le Conditionnel Présent)

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Examples and resources

Vous sauriez qui est responsable si vous étiez restés jusqu'au bout.You would know who's responsible if you'd stayed until the end.

Si nous gagnions au loto, nous achèterions une maison au bord de la mer.If we won the lottery, we would buy a house by the sea.

Il le mangerait s'il avait encore faim.He would eat it if he was still hungry.

Vous finiriez votre travail si vous n'étiez pas paresseux.You would finish your work if you weren't lazy.