How do I construct the French conditional tense for regular verbs?

To make the conditional tense in French you need to take the infinitive form of the verb, the form found in the dictionary, and add an ending onto it. These endings are:

Je (I) - ais

Tu (You) - ais

Il/Elle/On (He/she/we) - ait

Nous (We) - ions

Vous (You) - iez

Ils/Elles (They) - aient

Then you need to add the correct ending to the infinitive, the ending which matches the subject/ person who is doing the verb. This means that to make the conditional tense you need: Subject + Infinitive + Ending

Example

Je chanterais - I would sing       Je (Subject) + Chanter (Infinitive) + ais (Matching ending)

Tu mangerais - I would eat        Tu (Subject) + Manger (Infinitive) + ais (Matching ending)

Nous Danserions - We would dance       Nous (Subject) + Danser (Infinitive) + ions (Matching ending)

HW
Answered by Henry W. French tutor

2445 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do you know when to use the imperfect tense and when to use the perfect?


When is the imperfect tense used in French and how is it formed?


What is the difference between the use of l'imparfait and le passé composé


I can never think of anything to write during French Creative writing exams, what can I do?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning