Conditional Mood – Regular Verbs
In this lesson we learn how to create conditional mood for regular French verbs.
What is the conditional mood?
So far, all the verbs we have encountered have been in the indicative mood – which represents that the speaker is articulating a statement of fact. We have therefore studied the tenses in the indicative. But as well as tenses, verbs have moods – and the conditional mood is so called because it is based on the condition of something else.
In English, this is often conveyed by the word ‘would,’ as in “I would go,” or “I would play.” As you can see, these phrases suggest there is a condition to the statement, such as “I would go, if I had the time,” or “I would play but it is raining.” It is a future action that might take place.
How is the conditional mood formed in French?
The same applies to French. However, instead of using a word such as ‘would,’ the condition is expressed by using verb forms.
The good news, it is very similar to the future tense, as endings are added to the infinitive form of each verb. The endings are also familiar, as they are the same as those used for the imperfect tense. Therefore, the verbs are formed using the endings as follows:
| Person | Ending |
|---|---|
| je | -ais |
| tu | –ais |
| il | -ait |
| elle | -ait |
| nous | -ions |
| vous | -iez |
| ils | -aient |
| elles | -aient |
What is the French conditional mood of regular -er verbs, e.g. jouer (‘to play’)?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je jouerais | I would play |
| tu jouerais | you would play |
| il jouerait | he would play |
| elle jouerait | she would play |
| nous jouerions | we would play |
| vous joueriez | you would play |
| ils joueraient | they would play |
| elles joueraient | they would play |
What is the French conditional mood of regular -ir verbs, e.g. finir (‘to finish’)?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je finirais | I would finish |
| tu finirais | you would finish |
| il finirait | he would finish |
| elle finirait | she would finish |
| nous finirions | we would finish |
| vous finiriez | you would finish |
| ils finiraient | they would finish |
| elles finiraient | they would finish |
What is the French conditional mood of regular -re verbs, e.g. attendre (‘to wait’)?
Note that the ‘e’ is dropped from the end of the infinitive before the endings are applied, as follows:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’attendrais | I would wait |
| tu attendrais | you would wait |
| il attendrait | he would wait |
| elle attendrait | she would wait |
| nous attendrions | we would wait |
| vous attendriez | you would wait |
| ils attendraient | they would wait |
| elles attendraient | they would wait |