What Is the Conditional Tense?

The conditional tense in French (le conditionnel) is a verb form used to talk about
actions that would happen — but only under certain conditions.
It is the equivalent of saying “would + verb” in English.
It is also used to express wishes, polite requests, and hypothetical situations.

Quick Examples

• Je mangerais une pizza. → I would eat a pizza.
• Elle partirait en vacances. → She would go on holiday.
• Nous aimerions du café, s’il vous plaît. → We would like some coffee, please.

Simple Examples to Understand the Concept

Here are some everyday situations where the conditional tense is used:

• Hypothetical situation:
  Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une voiture.
  → If I had money, I would buy a car.
• Polite request:
  Pourriez-vous m’aider ?
  → Could you help me? (literally: “Would you be able to help me?”)
• Dream or wish:
  Je voudrais visiter Paris.
  → I would like to visit Paris.
• Unconfirmed information (news / rumour):
  Le président serait malade.
  → The president is reportedly sick. (used in journalism)

The Elements of the Conditional Tense in French

To form the conditional tense in French, you need two things:
the infinitive stem + the imperfect endings.
It is very regular for most verbs!

3.1 — How to Form the Conditional Tense

For regular verbs, take the full infinitive (the base form of the verb)
and add the following endings: