- It is formed with the infinitive + -rei, -resti, -rebbe, -remmo, -reste, -rebbero.
| 1a coniugazione: Rinnovare | 2a coniugazione: Chiedere | 3a coniugazione: Preferire |
|---|---|---|
| Io rinnoverei (I would renew) | Io chiedere (I ask) | Io preferirei (I would prefer) |
| Tu rinnoveresti (You would renew) | Tu chiederesti (You would ask) | Tu preferiresti (You would prefer) |
| Lui / lei rinnoverebbe (He / she would renew) | Lui / lei chiederebbe (He / she would ask) | Lui / lei preferirebbe (He / she would prefer) |
| Noi rinnoveremmo (We would renew) | Noi chiederemmo (We would ask) | Noi preferiremmo (We would prefer) |
| Voi rinnovereste (You would renew) | Voi chiedereste (You (plural) would ask) | Voi preferireste (You (plural) would prefer) |
| Loro rinnoverebbero (They would renew) | Loro chiederebbero (They would ask) | Loro preferirebbero (They would prefer) |
Exceptions!
- Verbs ending in -care, -gare take an -h between the root and the ending. Example: cercare -> cercherei; spiegare -> spiegherei.
- Verbs ending in -ciare, -giare lose the -i between the stem and the ending. Example: cominciare -> comincerei; mangiare -> mangerei.
Exercise 1: Il condizionale presente
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
sceglierebbe, chiederesti, preferirebbe, firmerei, rinnoveresti, cerchereste, avrebbero, firmerebbero
1.
Avere:
Loro ... bisogno di più superficie.
(They would need more space.)
2.
Preferire:
L'architetto ... cambiare la superficie dell'attico.
(The architect would prefer to change the attic's surface.)
3.
Rinnovare:
Tu ... questo appartamento arredato?
(Would you renovate this furnished flat?)
4.
Scegliere:
Lui ... un trilocale con balcone e vista.
(He would choose a three-room flat with a balcony and a view.)
5.
Firmare:
Loro ... domani se tutto va bene.
(They would sign tomorrow if all goes well.)
6.
Firmare:
Io ... subito il contratto se fossi sicuro.
(I would sign the contract immediately if I were sure.)
7.
Cercare:
Voi ... un appartamento con giardino?
(Would you look for an apartment with a garden?)
8.
Chiedere:
Tu ... informazioni all'agenzia immobiliare?
(Would you ask for information from the estate agency?)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that uses the present conditional or the first conditional in the indicated contexts, paying attention to common formation and usage errors.
1.
Error: after 'if' the imperfect subjunctive 'had' is used, not the conditional 'would have.'
Error: the verb is 'to renovate' and the conditional is formed with two 'n's: 'would renovate.'
2.
Error: after 'if' the future tense is not used, but the present indicative.
Error: after 'if' the verb must be in the present indicative ('signs' for he/she, or 'sign' for you), and the consequence in the future, not in the conditional.
3.
Error: the verb 'to look for' in the conditional requires the 'h' ('would look for'), not 'would look for' misspelled.
Error: the definite article 'the' is missing before 'budget.'
4.
Error: the stem of the verb 'to eat' is 'mangi-', so the correct form is 'would eat'.
Error: the verb 'to eat' loses the 'i' in the conditional, so 'eaterei' is wrong.
