Conditional in French (le conditionnel)
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HideWhat is the conditional?
The conditional (French: le conditionnel) is used to express an action that will take place if another action has already taken place. In general, it is used to express wishes, probability in the future, possibilities and doubts.
The conditional is used in mainly three contexts:
| Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Express a polite request | Je voudrais aller à la gare, s'il vous plait. | I would like to go to the train station, please. |
| Express 'future of the past' (events that take place at a later time, viewed at a later time) | Elle m'a dit qu'elle ferais une bonne avocate. | She told me, she would make a good lawyer. |
| 'si clauses' | Si tu gagnais le gros lot, tu achèterait une belle voiture. | If you won the jackpot, you would buy a beautiful car. |
The 'si' clauses use the present conditional (achèterais) when the condition is the imperfect (gagnais).
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Conditional as a tense in French
The conditional has a temporal form for the present (French: le conditionnel présent), like the future tense. we distinguish between two conditional tenses: the present and the past conditional tense.
The present conditional
The present conditional (French: le présent conditionnel) is very similar to the future simple, but the endings are composed of an -r- and the endings of the imperfect tense.
| Infinitif | Futur (The future expresses your next step) | Conditionnel (The conditional expresses possibility) |
|---|---|---|
Parler To speak | Je parlerai I will speak | Je parlerais I would speak |
Regarder To watch | Tu regarderas You will watch | Tu regarderais You would watch |
Regular formation of the present conditional
| verbs on -er: manger | verbs on -ir: finir | verbs on -re: mettre |
|---|---|---|
| Je mangerais | Je finirais | Je mettrais |
| Tu mangerais | Tu finirais | Tu mettrais |
| Il/elle/on mangerait | Il/elle/on finirait | Il/elle/on mettrait |
| Nous mangerions | Nous finirions | Nous mettrions |
| Vous mangeriez | Vous finiriez | Vous mettriez |
| Ils/elles mangeraient | Ils/elles finiraient | Ils/elles mettraient |
Formation of the conditional with être and avoir
'Avoir' and ''être' are formed irregularly:
- Avoir: j'aurais, tu aurais, il aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils auraient
- Être: je serais, tu serais, il serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils seraient
The past conditional
The past conditional (French: le conditionnel passé) is formed with the conditionnel of the auxiliary verb 'avoir' or 'être' and the past participle. In general, it is used to express regrets.
| verbs on -er: aimer | verbs on -ir: finir | verbs on -re: mettre |
|---|---|---|
| J'aurais aimé | J'aurais fini | J'aurais mis |
| Tu aurais aimé | Tu aurais fini | Tu aurais mis |
| Il/elle/on aurait aimé | Il/elle/on aurait fini | Il/elle/on aurait mis |
| Nous aurions aimé | Nous aurions fini | Nous aurions mis |
| Vous auriez aimé | Vous auriez fini | Vous auriez mis |
| Ils/elles auraient aimé | Ils/elles auraient fini | Ils/elles auraient mis |
The past conditional with 'être' agrees in gender and number with the noun they qualify.
Examples:
- Lucy se serait perdue dans les bois. (Lucy would have been lost in the woods.)
- Marc et Tom seraient rentrés en France. (Marc and Tom would have went back in France.)
The conditional as a mode in French
The conditionnel is also used as a mode in French. It is used to describe the manner in which an action or process can or should take place.
In this case, you use the past or present conditional + infinitive.
In the present, it is used to express a wish, a possibility, a guess or a polite request:
- J'aimerais faire un dessin pour ma mère. (I would like to make a drawing for my mother.)
- Je saurais le faire. (I would know how to do it.)
In the past, it is used to express regrets:
- J'aurais aimé rester un peu plus longtemps. (I would have loved to stay a little longer.)
- J'aurais été heureux de partir en vacances. (I would have been happy to go in holiday.)
Keep your motivation and test your knowledge about the conditional with our exercises.
Exercises
Exercise for the conditional in French I
The French conditional tense or mode exercise I
Exercises
Exercise for the conditional in French I
The French conditional tense or mode exercise I
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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She is kind, she listen to me and try to help me to understand, she use pictures, english words and try to show me the meaning of words . I recommand her. She offers books for free.
Hella K.
Hello everyone. My name is Will Alberts, 52 years old, and I live in Roermond, a beautiful city in the south of Limburg (Netherlands) and I am a first-degree qualified teacher of English.
I have been teaching English at all levels to 12-18 year olds for 15 years. I've always enjoyed doing that, even during Covid-19, when we were forced to teach online. I have experience with Zoom, Teams and Skype. I liked online teaching so much that I would like to do this part-time, in addition to giving physical tutoring to my students at home.
I think it is very important that the student also decides what a lesson should look like.
If you are partly in control as a student, you are more motivated!
I have worked with many (digital) methods, but I also make my own lessons.
I am flexible in terms of time, so you decide when you want to have your lessons.
Hope to see you soon!
G. P.
Will started his career as a teacher in the Czech Republic at the age of 27. He worked in Prague for an American school for 4 years and then returned to the Netherlands to teach in different schools for different levels. Specialized in teaching for many years, in him, you will find a well-prepared, expert, friendly and inspiring teacher with a creative and simple teaching method.
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Will A.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
J. V.
I highly recommend Tiska because she quickly and efficiently types up my mistakes in chat without interfering the flow of the conversation. She adapts to the situation and helped me to express myself on higher-level issues. She also has very organized lesson plans but uses humorous and engaging material to help make the learning process fun. Also, she spent a year in the States so she can draw from that experience to help teach you if you are an English speaker.
Tiska G.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
F. .
We are an Italian family residing in France for 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the children two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with the choice. Nous sommes une famille italienne résidant en France depuis janvier, nous avons deux enfants de 10 ans qui viennent de commencer la CM1. Nous avons demandé à Natalia de leur donner deux leçons par semaine pour accélérer leur apprentissage. Nous sommes super contents de Natalia. We are an Italian family living in France since 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the kids two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with this choice.
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Fabrizio's children are learning French very fast, I have the impression that these lessons online have been helpful for them and I am sure they will master the language easily. They are very interested in learning.
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Beatrice B.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
M. C.
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Marissa is a very nice and motivated student. It is very pleasant to talk with her and to teach her. I hope to be able to accompany her throughout the whole process for the presentation of her exam, which she will undoubtedly pass with a good result.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
I. G.
I really enjoy my lessons with Natalia! She is a very talented teacher. So far she has helped me to improve a lot my vocabulory, grammaire and my conversational skills, in general. I like that all the time we talk in French, which is very useful if you already start from a certain language level (like my case). But also, she can explain in English , if I need. She chooses a lot of different topics for conversations, and for grammaire she uses the best learning materials which exist on the market! Thank you Natalia!
Hi Irina. Thank you very much for your comment. It has been a real pleasure to work with you these months and to see how you have improved your grammar as well as your oral and written expression. You have a very good level of French and I will help you to improve it in the way you need. See you soon!
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During my classes I speak just Italian and I help you improve in all the abilities (listening, reading, speaking, writing).
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Mabuhay! Magandang Araw! Kumusta ka? I am Rey Corañes. I am a licensed professional teacher and I have 4 years of teaching experience in teaching Filipino/Tagalog language. I have a degree in education and my specialization is teaching Filipino. Let me help you set your goals and have amazing results. Do you want to speak the common Filipino phrases? Do you want to learn how to converse with the people in the community? Do you want to master the grammar and have conversational practices? No worries, I am here to help you learn it all. So what are you waiting for? Book a lesson with me.
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Ray has been a teacher for four years. He taught Filipino in a private school for two years, while now he is working in a public school. Specialized in teaching for many years, in Rey you will find an experienced but at the same time young and creative teacher. His teaching methods will be based on the level of the student. He also delivers the lessons in an interactive and stimulating way, such as games.
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Thank you so much for this review! I'm so overwhelmed.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
F. S.
Tiska has patience and is a very friendly and nice teacher. She always has a structure for each lesson and certainly accommodates when there is something specific I’d like to focus on. I definitely recommend her.
Tiska G.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
A. .
I am very happy with Tiska's lessons, they are well-structured and interesting. She gives some homework, so I can continue my practice after the lesson. I strongly recommend her as a teacher.
Tiska G.
Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
A. .
she have books and she knows how the delf / dalf works, she gives me some advises that i didn't find in youtube video
Hella K.
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced and are based on conversations.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, we will speak french and I am sure you will improve quickly.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
P. .
Lou works in a very structured way and sent me teaching material before the lesson. After a bit of small talk, we worked on the topic of the lesson, with the lesson divided into reading comprehension, discussion of the text, listening comprehension of a video and a written assignment on the topic. Lou picked an interesting topic that created plenty of opportunity for conversation. She corrected mistakes in a friendly manner and responded very well to my learning requests. That was fun!
Lou P.
Hello everyone, and welcome to my classroom. I hope you are all doing well. My name is Kimberley, and I live in South Africa. I have an honors degree in Environmental health. My hobbies include hiking, cooking, singing, participating in outdoor activities as well as 0reading books. I enjoy engaging in conversations with people whether old or young and have excellent interpersonal skills. In my classroom, I can help you with pronunciation of words, grammar and reading comprehension. My classes are never dull as I make it as interesting and practical as it can be. Lastly the motto of this classroom is practice makes perfect. I hope to see you in my lessons very soon.
G. P.
Kimberley is a friendly and professional teacher with excellent English books and an impeccable teaching method. She is perfect for those just starting out in the English language and highly recommended for school and college students.
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Kimberley C.
Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
L. .
She is kind, she listen to me and try to help me to understand, she use pictures, english words and try to show me the meaning of words . I recommand her. She offers books for free.
Hella K.
Hello everyone. My name is Will Alberts, 52 years old, and I live in Roermond, a beautiful city in the south of Limburg (Netherlands) and I am a first-degree qualified teacher of English.
I have been teaching English at all levels to 12-18 year olds for 15 years. I've always enjoyed doing that, even during Covid-19, when we were forced to teach online. I have experience with Zoom, Teams and Skype. I liked online teaching so much that I would like to do this part-time, in addition to giving physical tutoring to my students at home.
I think it is very important that the student also decides what a lesson should look like.
If you are partly in control as a student, you are more motivated!
I have worked with many (digital) methods, but I also make my own lessons.
I am flexible in terms of time, so you decide when you want to have your lessons.
Hope to see you soon!
G. P.
Will started his career as a teacher in the Czech Republic at the age of 27. He worked in Prague for an American school for 4 years and then returned to the Netherlands to teach in different schools for different levels. Specialized in teaching for many years, in him, you will find a well-prepared, expert, friendly and inspiring teacher with a creative and simple teaching method.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Will A.
Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
J. V.
I highly recommend Tiska because she quickly and efficiently types up my mistakes in chat without interfering the flow of the conversation. She adapts to the situation and helped me to express myself on higher-level issues. She also has very organized lesson plans but uses humorous and engaging material to help make the learning process fun. Also, she spent a year in the States so she can draw from that experience to help teach you if you are an English speaker.
Tiska G.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
F. .
We are an Italian family residing in France for 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the children two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with the choice. Nous sommes une famille italienne résidant en France depuis janvier, nous avons deux enfants de 10 ans qui viennent de commencer la CM1. Nous avons demandé à Natalia de leur donner deux leçons par semaine pour accélérer leur apprentissage. Nous sommes super contents de Natalia. We are an Italian family living in France since 3 months, we have two 10 year old children who have just started attending CM1. We asked Natalia to give the kids two lessons a week to speed up their learning. We are super happy with this choice.
Fabrizio's children are learning French very fast, I have the impression that these lessons online have been helpful for them and I am sure they will master the language easily. They are very interested in learning.