The present conditional: regular forms

What the present conditional expresses (conditionnel présent)

Use the present conditional to talk about something that is not certain:

• Hypothesis: what would happen in a certain situation
• Suggestion / polite request: softer than the present
• Advice / preference: a nuanced opinion

How to form it: future stem + imperfect endings

The formation rule is reliable and fast if you do it in two steps:

1. Take the future simple stem (the form used before the endings in je parlerai, je finirai, je vendrai).
2. Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Don’t confuse conditional and future: a quick visual check

These two are close because they share the same stem. The difference is the endings.

• If you can replace it with “would” in English, you probably need the conditionnel.
• If you can replace it with “will”, you probably need the futur.

The most common structure: “si” + imperfect → conditional

For a present/future hypothesis (not real, just imagined):

Si + imparfait + …, conditionnel présent

What to avoid:

• Never use future after si: si le loyer baissera
• Never use conditional after si: si le loyer baisserait

Irregular future stems you will meet often (so: irregular conditional too)

Because the conditional uses the future stem, the same verbs are irregular.

Polite requests in real life: conditional as a “softener”

In professional contexts (email, customer service, negotiations), French uses the conditional to sound less direct.

Self-check: choose the right form in 10 seconds

1. Is it a firm plan? → use future (je signerai).
2. Is it hypothetical, conditional, or polite? → use conditional (je signerais).
3. Is there a “if” idea (si)? → use si + imperfect and then conditional.
4. Quick spelling check for -RE verbs: drop the final -e before endings: vendre → vendr- → je vendrais (not je venderais).