The conditional tense in French is used to express what would happen under certain circumstances or conditions. It uses the same verb stems as the future tense and the same endings as the imperfect tense. Common uses of the conditional include making polite requests, softening demands, or saying what someone could or should do. The conditional can also be used with a past tense verb to express what someone said or thought would happen in the future in the past. Examples are provided to practice conjugating verbs in the conditional tense.

1. Point de d épart The conditional expresses what you would do or what would happen under certain circumstances.

2. The conditional uses the same verb stems as the future tense. The conditional endings are the same as those of the imparfait .

3. The same patterns that you learned for forming the future tense of spelling-change -er verbs also apply to the conditional. The same irregular stems you learned for the future tense are used for the conditional.

4. Use the conditional to make a polite request, soften a demand, or express what someone could or should do.

6. Use the conditional, along with a past-tense verb, to express what someone said or thought would happen in the future at a past moment in time. The English would can also mean used to , in the sense of past habitual action. To express past habitual actions in French, use the imparfait .

7. Essayez! Indiquez la forme correcte du conditionnel de ces verbes. perdrais, devrais, viendrais 1. je (perdre, devoir, venir) _______________________ 2. tu (vouloir, aller, essayer) _______________________ 3. Michel (dire, prendre, savoir) _______________________ 4. nous (préférer, nettoyer, faire) _______________________ 5. vous (être, pouvoir, avoir) _______________________ 6. elles (dire, espérer, amener) _______________________ 7. je (boire, choisir, essuyer) _______________________ 8. il (tenir, se lever, envoyer) _______________________