How do you form the conditional tense in French?

In French you form the conditional tense in 2 simple steps:

1) Take the future stem of the verb. E.g - manger

2) Add the imperfect endings. E.g - ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient.

 

You use the conditional tense to talk about what 'would' happen in the future.

Many verbs have irregular stems in the future and these must also be used in the conditional tense. Some examples are given below.

Aller: ir-

Avoir: aur-

Etre: ser-

Faire: fer-

Vouloir: voudr-

Example sentences: I would go to Spain. - J'irais en Espagne.

                                 He would eat an apple. - Il mangerait une pomme.

                                 We would do our homework. - Nous ferions nos devoirs.

 

LS
Answered by Lucy S. French tutor

3830 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between the usage of the imperfect an the present perfect ?


Vous décrivez vos vacances pour votre blog.


Which verbs are conjugated with être in compound tenses (e.g. Perfect tense, Pluperfect tense)


Vous écrivez un article sur l'importance des réseaux sociaux pour votre blog.


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:

© 2025 by IXL Learning