Le Conditionnel — would, could, should | French Grammar
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Politeness, wishes and hypotheses — the “would” mood. This guide explains Le Conditionnel in French with clear rules, real examples and practice for every CEFR level. For instance: « je parlerais » — I would speak.
Le Conditionnel
Politeness, wishes and hypotheses — the “would” mood
1. La formation
| Verbe | Conditionnel | Traduction |
|---|---|---|
| parler | je parlerais | I would speak |
| être (ser-) | je serais | I would be |
| avoir (aur-) | j’aurais | I would have |
| pouvoir (pourr-) | vous pourriez | you could |
| vouloir (voudr-) | je voudrais | I would like |
2. Usage n°1 : la politesse
| Brut | Poli | Traduction |
|---|---|---|
| Je veux un café. | Je voudrais un café. | I’d like a coffee. |
| Tu peux m’aider ? | Pourrais-tu m’aider ? | Could you help me? |
| Je veux savoir… | J’aimerais savoir… | I’d like to know… |
3. Usage n°2 : l’hypothèse
| Exemple | Traduction |
|---|---|
| Si j’étais riche, je voyagerais. | If I were rich, I would travel. |
| À ta place, je refuserais. | In your place, I’d refuse. |
4. Usage n°3 : conseils & infos non confirmées
| Exemple | Traduction |
|---|---|
| Tu devrais te reposer. | You should rest. |
| Il y aurait trois blessés. (news!) | Reportedly, three people are injured. |
💡 Astuce
Same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ais, -ait…) but glued to the FUTURE stem : voyagerais vs voyageais.
The 3 magic polite forms to memorise today : je voudrais · j’aimerais · pourriez-vous.
📚 Free French lessons at learnfrench.co
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
polite : je ___ (vouloir) un thé. (the magic form)
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voudrais
Si j’avais le temps, je ___ (venir). (irregular stem viendr-)
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viendrais
advice : tu ___ (devoir) dormir. (should)
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devrais
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🎯 More practice — translation — put it into French
Translate into French: « I’d like to book a table for tonight. » (translation)
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Je voudrais réserver une table pour ce soir.
Translate into French: « Could you speak more slowly? » (translation)
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Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement ?
Translate into French: « In your place, I’d accept right away. » (translation)
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À ta place, j’accepterais tout de suite.
Go further: get the full picture in our guide 7 common French mistakes English speakers make.
Le Conditionnel in French — FAQ
How do you use Le Conditionnel in French?
Politeness, wishes and hypotheses — the “would” mood. Follow the rules and patterns in the lesson above, and practise with real sentences like « je parlerais » (I would speak).
Can you give an example of Le Conditionnel in French?
Yes — « je parlerais » means « I would speak », and « je serais » means « I would be ». The lesson above has many more examples with explanations.
What CEFR level is Le Conditionnel?
This topic is introduced around B1 and refined at higher levels — pick your level from the links at the top of the page. You can also drill it with the interactive exercises and games below.
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🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Le Conditionnel » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →