LE CONDITIONNEL / CONDITIONAL

 

LE CONDITIONNEL PRÉSENT / PRESENT CONDITIONAL

1. English equivalent:If you were ugly, you would be unhappy. I'd like a cracker. Your father would disagree. He said that he would come.

2. Construction: infinitive + endings for the Imparfait

Person		-er		-ir		-re
je		aimer-ais		finir-ais		vendrais
tu		aimer-ais		finir-ais		vendrais
il/elle		aimer-ait		finir-ait		vendrait
nous		aimer-ions		finir-ions		vendrions
vous		aimer-iez		finir-iez		vendriez
ils/elles		aimer-aient		finir-aient		vendraient

1. Use:

   1. In present if... then sentences (see below).

   2. In opinions and estimations: Je dirais qu'il est assez beau(I would say he's rather handsome.)

   3. To be polite: Sauriez-vous où....? (Would you happen to know where...?)

   4. To express a future moment within a past context: Il a dit qu'il viendrait.(He said he'd come.)

   5. The conditional forms of devoir, pouvoir,and vouloirhave special meanings: je devrais(I should, ought); vous pourriez(you could); elles voudraient(theywould like).

Note:would can be used colloquially in English to indicate a past habit: when I lived In France, I would eat cheese all the time. French uses the imperfect: ( Quand j'habitais en France, je mangeais du tromage tout le temps.)

 

LE CONDITIONNEL PASSE / PAST CONDITIONAL

1. English equivalent:If I had married Jeanne, I wouldhave been happy.

2. Construction:conditional of avoiror etre + past participle

Person		-er		-ir		-re
Je		auraisaime		auraisfini		auraisvendu
tu		auraisaime		auraisfini		auraisvendu
il/elle		auraitaimé		auraitfini		auraitvendu
nous		aurionsaimé		aurionsfini		aurionsvendu
vous		auriezaimé		auriezfini		auriezvendu
ils/elles		auraientaimé		auraientfini		auraientvendu

1. Use:To express an action that didn't take place but would have under different circumstances. The circumstances may be expressed (If... then" sentence; see below) or implied: Mot je l'aurais engueulé!(Me, I would have yelled at him!)

 

"IF...THEN" SENTENCES

1. Cause and effect:If I get good grades, I will be happy. If you see her, you are an Idiot. If you go to the store, call me.

   Si... present

   +

   present, future, or imperative

   Si je reçois de bonnes notes, je serai content.

   (If I get good grades, I will be happy.)

2. Improbability:

   Si... imperfect

   +

   conditional present

   Si je recevais de bonnes notes, je serais content.

   (If I got good grades, I would be happy [but I probably won't]).

3. Contrary to fact:

   Si... plus-que-parfait

   +

   conditional past

   Si j'avais reçu de bonnes notes, j'aurais été content.

   [If I had received good grades, I would have been happy. [but I didn't, so I wasn't])