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Understanding the Conditional Present Tense in Français
The Conditional Present tense in French is like a magical way of talking about things that might happen, things we wish for, or things that could happen if something else happens first.
Important Points
Used for polite requests
Expresses wishes or desires
Talks about possibilities or hypothetical situations
Describes actions that depend on a condition
To form the Conditional Present, we take the future stem of a verb and add the endings of the imperfect tense. These endings are: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
Examples
Je voudrais un gâteau. (I would like a cake.)
Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais autour du monde. (If I were rich, I would travel around the world.)
Nous aimerions aller au parc. (We would like to go to the park.)
Let's look at some verbs and see how they change in the Conditional Present. For regular verbs like 'parler' (to talk), 'finir' (to finish), and 'vendre' (to sell), we use the future stem and add the imperfect endings.
Examples
Je parlerais. (I would talk.)
Tu finirais. (You would finish.)
Il vendrait. (He would sell.)
There are also some verbs that are a little tricky because they are irregular. For example, 'être' (to be) becomes 'ser-', and 'avoir' (to have) becomes 'aur-'.
Examples
Je serais content. (I would be happy.)
Tu aurais un chien. (You would have a dog.)
Elle ferait ses devoirs. (She would do her homework.)
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