Reminder:
There is a present conditional and a past conditional. This explanation refers to the present conditional.
The conditional tense is used to express actions that are not guaranteed to happen. It requires a specific condition for it to happen, hence the name 'conditional'. It is, therefore, often used with an 'if' clause.
The conditional is translated by 'would' in English. There is no word for 'would' in French, instead we use specific endings. These endings are the same as the ones for the imperfect tense.
The conditional tense is formed from the infinitive to which we add on the following endings:
| je | -ais |
| tu | -ais |
| il/elle/on | -ait |
| nous | -ions |
| vous | -iez |
| ils/elles | -aient |
Ex: (aider - to help): Je t'aiderais si je pouvais. = I would help you if I could.
*As for the simple future, for RE verbs, we need to first remove the 'e' and then add the endings.
Ex: (rendre - to give back): Il rendrait le livre s'il le trouvait. = He would give back the book, if he found it.
The conditional tense has exactly the same irregular verbs as the simple future, only the endings are different. Here are some main ones in the I form:
Faire = to do/make: je ferais = I would do.
Aller = to go: j'irais = I would go.
Être = to be: je serais = I would be.
Avoir = to have: j'aurais = I would have.
Pouvoir = can: je pourrais = I would be able to / I could.
Dire = to say: je dirais = I would say.
Vouloir = to want: je voudrais = I would like.
Ex: Nous irions à l'université si nous avions assez d'argent. = We would go to university if we had enough money.
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