Welcome to the "Would" World! In this chapter, we will learn how to express dreams, make polite requests, and describe what would happen in French. Let's master it together, step-by-step.
In Chapter 26, we mastered the Simple Future (Le Futur Simple) — the "will" tense (e.g., Je parlerai — I will speak).
Now, we introduce the Conditional Mood (Le Conditionnel). It corresponds to the English helper verb "would" (e.g., I would speak). We use it to soften requests politely, express desires, or discuss hypothetical scenarios ("If it was sunny, I would go out").
Building the Conditional is a simple recipe that merges your existing knowledge:
You reuse the exact same Future Stem from Chapter 26, but replace the "will" fuel with the Imperfect Past Endings (the endings we use to describe continuous past action).
Let's look at the six endings and their pronunciation:
| Pronoun | Ending | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -ais | [ay] |
| Tu | -ais | [ay] |
| Il / Elle / On | -ait | [ay] |
| Nous | -ions | [ee-ohn] |
| Vous | -iez | [ee-ay] |
| Ils / Elles | -aient | [ay] |
Notice something amazing? The endings for Je, Tu, Il/Elle, and Ils/Elles are spelled differently, but they are **pronounced exactly the same**: [ay] (like the "ay" in "say"). Only Nous [ee-ohn] and Vous [ee-ay] sound unique!
Look away from the screen. What is the basic recipe for building a Conditional verb? Which four pronouns share the exact same phonetic ending sound?
1. The French Conditional Mood corresponds to which helper verb in English?
2. Which ending goes with the pronoun "Ils" (they) in the Conditional?
3. What is the phonetic pronunciation of the ending "-iez"?
Question 1: Correct Answer: B. The Conditional is "would" (dreams/hypotheticals/politeness). "Will" is the Simple Future.
Question 2: Correct Answer: B. The plural "Ils" takes "-aient". The ending "-ont" is for the Simple Future.
Question 3: Correct Answer: B. The ending "-iez" (for vous) is pronounced [ee-ay]. "-ions" (for nous) is pronounced [ee-ohn].
In France, politeness is highly valued. Demanding something using the present tense Je veux [zhuh vuh] (I want) is considered childish or rude. Instead, French speakers soften their language using the Conditional mood.
Look away. How do you say "I would like" and "Could you" politely in French? Recite their pronunciation and stem mnemonics.
1. Which phrase is appropriate when ordering food in a restaurant?
2. What is the future/conditional stem of the verb "pouvoir" (to be able to)?
3. Translate: "Could you help me?"
Question 1: Correct Answer: B. "Je voudrais" is the polite Conditional form. "Je veux" is too direct and demanding.
Question 2: Correct Answer: B. The stem for *pouvoir* is *pourr-* (remember: pouring rain). *voudr-* is the stem for *vouloir*.
Question 3: Correct Answer: A. "Pourriez-vous" is conditional ("Could you"). "Pouvez-vous" is present tense ("Can you").
Let's apply the "Would" fuel (Imperfect endings) to regular verbs. Remember: the base is the full infinitive, always ending with the letter R!
Keep the infinitive exactly as is, then add the endings:
Keep the infinitive exactly as is, then add the endings:
Because the infinitive ends with a silent **e** (vendre), we must **evict the silent e** before adding our endings. This keeps the letter R as our outer contact point.
Think of the silent "e" as an extra passenger in the rocket capsule. To make room for the conditional endings, we must **evict the silent e**! This leaves the **R** at the end of the stem to connect with the booster.
→ Vendre → drop "e" → Vendr- + ending.
Look away. What is the conditional stem of "vendre" (to sell)? How do you say "They would sell" in French?
1. Translate: "I would speak." (parler)
2. What is the conditional form of "vendre" for the pronoun "Il" (he)?
3. Translate: "You (plural) would finish." (finir)
Question 1: Correct Answer: B. "Je parlerais" has the "-ais" ending for conditional. "Je parlerai" is Simple Future ("I will speak").
Question 2: Correct Answer: A. "Il vendrait" ends in "-ait" (conditional "would"). "Il vendra" is future simple ("will").
Question 3: Correct Answer: A. "Vous finiriez" uses the conditional ending "-iez". "Vous finirez" is future simple.
The 6 irregular rebel stems you mastered in Chapter 26 are exactly the same in the Conditional! They all still end in the letter R — we just apply our new "would" endings. Let's review them:
J'irais [zhee-ray] : I would go.
Mnemonic: An iridescent future pathway that you would go down.J'aurais [zho-ray] : I would have.
Mnemonic: An aurora borealis that you would have in your sky.Je serais [zhuh suh-ray] : I would be.
Mnemonic: A peaceful, serene person you would be.Je ferais [zhuh fuh-ray] : I would do / make.
Mnemonic: Building a metal ferry boat you would do by hand.Je verrais [zhuh veh-ray] : I would see. (Note the double r!)
Mnemonic: **Ver**y clear binoculars to see through.Je pourrais [zhuh poo-ray] : I would be able / I could. (Note the double r!)
Mnemonic: **Pour**ing rain you would be able to withstand.Close your eyes. What are the Conditional stems for: to go (aller), to be (être), and to have (avoir)? Recite the mnemonics.
1. Translate: "I would be" (être).
2. What is the Conditional stem of "faire" (to do/make)?
3. Translate: "We would have" (avoir).
Question 1: Correct Answer: A. "Je serais" is "I would be" (stem *ser-*). "J'aurais" is "I would have" (stem *aur-*).
Question 2: Correct Answer: B. The stem for *faire* is *fer-* (remember: ferry boat). *ser-* is for *être*.
Question 3: Correct Answer: B. "Nous aurions" ends in "-ions" (conditional). "Nous aurons" is future simple ("we will have").
Let's see these Conditional verbs in action. Marc and Sophie are dreaming about what they would do if they won the lottery.
When making "If-Then" dream statements in French:
→ The **Si (If) clause** uses the **Imperfect tense** (continuous past description).
→ The **Result clause** uses the **Conditional mood** (the dream).
Example: Si j'étais (Imperfect) riche, je voyagerais (Conditional).
Si tu gagnais au loto, que ferais-tu ?
Phonetics: [see too gah-nyeh oh lo-to, kuh fuh-ray too ?]
(If you won the lottery, what would you do?)J'achèterais une île déserte et je dormirais toute la journée.
Phonetics: [zhah-shet-ray oon eel day-zehrt ay zhuh dor-mee-ray toot lah zhoor-nay.]
(I would buy a desert island and I would sleep all day.)C'est tout ? Moi, je voudrais voyager sur la Lune !
Phonetics: [say too ? mwah, zhuh voo-dray vwah-yah-zhay sewr lah loon !]
(That's all? Me, I would like to travel to the Moon!)Look away. What are the French verbs used in the dialogue for "would do" (ferais) and "would buy" (achèterais)? What are their infinitives?
1. In the sentence "Si tu gagnais...", what does "Si" mean?
2. Translate: "I would buy." (acheter)
3. What is the literal infinitive of "dormirais" (would sleep)?
Question 1: Correct Answer: B. "Si" means "If" in this context (introducing hypothetical clauses).
Question 2: Correct Answer: A. "J'achèterais" (ending in "-ais") is conditional. "J'achèterai" is future simple.
Question 3: Correct Answer: A. The verb "dormir" (to sleep) is a regular -IR verb. Its stem is the full infinitive *dormir-*.
French conditional phrases like "Au cas où..." [oh kah oo] mean "In case..." and always trigger the Conditional mood (e.g. Au cas où vous auriez besoin d'aide... — In case you would have need of help...).
Conditional verbs let French speakers express politeness and daydream in conversation. Always remember that saying "Je voudrais" rather than "Je veux" signals high social competence in any francophone country.
Click the magical golden Genie's Lamp below to rub it, release the smoke, and hear your wish spoken in French!
Import the Conditional mood deck to practice stems, endings, and dialogue keywords on your device.
Prove your complete self-contained mastery of the Conditional. Complete all three tiers to verify your understanding!
1. What is the Conditional stem of the verb "être" (to be)?
2. Which pronoun does the Conditional ending "-iez" go with?
3. How do you say "I would like" politely in French?
4. In the Conditional mood, which endings sound exactly the same?
5. Translate: "Nous vendrions."
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to complete each sentence.
Write the complete French sentence. Capitalize the first letter.
1. Translate: "I would speak." (speak is parler)
Hint: Subject "Je" + full infinitive body "parler" + conditional ending.2. Translate: "They would finish." (they is Ils, finish is finir)
Hint: Subject "Ils" + full infinitive "finir" + ending.3. Translate: "She would be rich." (she is Elle, be is être -> ser-, rich is riche)
Hint: Subject "Elle" + irregular stem "ser" + ending + adjective "riche".4. Translate: "We would travel a lot." (we is Nous, travel is voyager, a lot is beaucoup)
Hint: Subject "Nous" + full infinitive "voyager" + ending + "beaucoup".5. Translate: "I would do the work." (I is Je, do is faire -> fer-, the work is le travail)
Hint: Subject "Je" + irregular stem "fer" + ending + "le travail".