B1Unit 4 of the B1 course · « Si j'avais le temps… »
The conditionnel is how French says « would »: j'aimerais, je ferais. It's built from the future stem with imparfait endings, and it powers hypotheses (si j'avais le temps…), advice and polite requests.
By the end of this unit you can: make hypotheses with the conditionnel.
The conditionnel is a mix of two tenses you already know. Take the stem of the future (for most verbs, the whole infinitive; for -re verbs, drop the final e) and add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
If a verb has an irregular future, it has the same irregular conditionnel. The endings never change, so once you know the stem, the rest is automatic.
To imagine something that isn't true right now, put the condition in the imparfait after si, and the result in the conditionnel. English does the same with « if I had… I would… ». The golden rule: never put the conditionnel straight after si.
À ta place (à votre place when formal) means « if I were you ». It already contains the idea of si, so the verb that follows goes straight into the conditionnel.
French speakers use the conditionnel all the time to sound polite. Pouvez-vous… ? is fine, but pourriez-vous… ? is warmer, and it's what you'll hear at a hotel desk, in an email or with someone older than you.
Il faut sounds firm: it's necessary. Il faudrait, its conditionnel, turns an order into a suggestion: we ought to, someone should. It's handy at work when you don't want to sound bossy.
Tu devrais (you should) gives clear advice. Tu pourrais (you could) offers a softer idea. Both are followed by an infinitive. For vous, it's vous devriez and vous pourriez.
Mix your dream vocabulary with the conditionnel: mon rêve, c'est de + infinitive; je rêve de + infinitive; idéalement, je + conditionnel. Rêver takes de, never à.
Friday night in Abidjan. Sofia, visiting from Lyon, is sitting at a maquis with her Ivorian friend Yao. He has just bought a lottery ticket, and they start imagining what they'd do with the money. Listen and answer.
Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'aimeraisJ'aimerais apprendre à jouer de la kora. (I'd love to learn to play the kora.) | I would like / I'd loveFrom aimer: the whole infinitive is the stem. Great for wishes: j'aimerais voyager. | |
| je seraisSans toi, je serais perdu. (Without you, I'd be lost.) | I would beÊtre has the stem ser-, the same as in the future (je serai). | |
| j'aurais | I would haveAvoir has the stem aur-, as in the future (j'aurai). | |
| j'iraisAvec plus d'argent, j'irais à Montréal. (With more money, I'd go to Montreal.) | I would goAller has the tiny stem ir-: j'irais, tu irais, nous irions. | |
| je ferais | I would do / I would makeFaire has the stem fer-. Say « fuh-reh ». | |
| on pourraitOn pourrait aller au cinéma ce soir. (We could go to the cinema tonight.) | we couldFrom pouvoir, stem pourr-. Perfect for suggestions. | |
| ce seraitCe serait génial de partir ensemble. (It would be great to go away together.) | it would be |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| si j'avais…Si j'avais une voiture, je t'emmènerais. (If I had a car, I'd take you.) | if I had…After si, use the imparfait, never the conditionnel. | |
| si j'étais…Si j'étais riche, j'aiderais ma famille. (If I were rich, I'd help my family.) | if I were… / if I was… | |
| si j'avais le temps | if I had (the) timeFrench usually adds le here: le temps. Du temps is also fine. | |
| gagner au loto | to win the lotteryNote the au: on gagne au loto, not le loto. | |
| à ta placeÀ ta place, je dirais la vérité. (If I were you, I'd tell the truth.) | if I were you (literally: in your place)Formal: à votre place. Always followed by a conditionnel. | |
| si c'était possible | if it were possible | |
| faire le tour du monde | to travel around the world | |
| je déménagerais | I would move (house)Déménager means to move home. To move your body is bouger. |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| tu pourrais… ?Tu pourrais fermer la fenêtre ? (Could you close the window?) | could you…? (informal)In speech, tu pourrais with a rising voice is more common than pourrais-tu. | |
| vous auriez… ?Vous auriez une table pour deux ? (Would you have a table for two?) | would you have…? / do you happen to have…? | |
| ça vous dérangerait de… ?Ça vous dérangerait de parler moins fort ? (Would you mind speaking more quietly?) | would you mind…?Followed by an infinitive. Informal: ça te dérangerait de… ? | |
| je prendrais bien…Je prendrais bien un thé. (I could do with a cup of tea.) | I could do with… / I'd happily have… | |
| il faudrait | we / you ought to; it would be necessaryThe conditionnel of il faut: a gentler way to say what needs doing. | |
| si possible | if possible |
| Listen | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| tu devraisTu devrais te reposer un peu. (You should rest a bit.) | you shouldFrom devoir, stem devr-. The standard way to give advice. | |
| vous devriez | you should (formal / plural) | |
| tu pourraisTu pourrais demander à ton chef. (You could ask your boss.) | you couldA softer suggestion than tu devrais. | |
| j'aurais dûJ'aurais dû partir plus tôt. (I should have left earlier.) | I should haveA taste of the past conditional. Learn it as a block, followed by an infinitive. | |
| rêve(masculine)Mon rêve, c'est d'ouvrir un restaurant. (My dream is to open a restaurant.) | dream | |
| rêver de | to dream of / aboutFollowed by a noun or an infinitive: je rêve de voyager. | |
| idéalement | ideally | |
| monter sa boîte | to start your own businessInformal: une boîte is everyday French for a company. More formal: créer son entreprise. |
This unit is part of French Ultimate's B1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.
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