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Point de départ

The conditional expresses what you would do or what would happen under certain circumstances.

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The conditional uses the same verb stems as the future tense. The conditional endings are the same as those of the imparfait.

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The same patterns that you learned for forming the future tense of spelling-change -er verbs also apply to the conditional.

The same irregular stems you learned for the future tense are used for the conditional.

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Use the conditional to make a polite request, soften a demand, or express what someone could or should do.

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Use the conditional, along with a past-tense verb, to express what someone said or thought would happen in the future at a past moment in time.

The English would can also mean used to, in the sense of past habitual action. To express past habitual actions in French, use the imparfait.

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Essayez! Indiquez la forme correcte du conditionnel de ces verbes.

1. je (perdre, devoir, venir) _______________________

2. tu (vouloir, aller, essayer) _______________________

3. Michel (dire, prendre, savoir) _______________________

4. nous (préférer, nettoyer, faire) _______________________

5. vous (être, pouvoir, avoir) _______________________

6. elles (dire, espérer, amener) _______________________

7. je (boire, choisir, essuyer) _______________________

8. il (tenir, se lever, envoyer) _______________________

perdrais, devrais, viendrais