FRENCH VERBS: CONDITIONAL TENSE
Who is doing the verb?
Which subject pronoun do I need?
What do I need to do to create the stem for the verb?
What are the correct endings that need to be added?
AIMS:
To learn how to recognise regular and irregular conditional tense verbs.
To learn how to form regular and irregular conditional tense verbs.
What are conditional tense verbs?
• Conditional tense verbs describe an action that
would happen in the future (if, for example,
something else were to happen as well).
• Examples in English are: I would run and I would
hide (if a bear was chasing me!).
1. The first great thing about the conditional tense
is that the endings are always the same. It is
only the stem that changes (on occasions).
2. The second great thing is that the endings are
exactly the same as the imperfect tense.
NOT
RÉPOND
IR
ER
FIN
STEM >
REGARD
HEAD >
RE
VERBS ARE LIKE FLOWERS IN
THE CONDITIONAL TENSE
VERBS ARE LIKE BUILDING BLOCKS BECAUSE THEY
LOOK TO THE FUTURE. AS A RESULT, YOU ADD
ENDINGS TO INFINITIVES.
Think of it as building to the future OR in the case of the conditional
tense, how things would be (in the future).
There is also a magic letter (ooooo!)
All endings should come directly
after the magic R in every case.
That magic R is why we do a little bit of chopping
when we remove the E from the –RE infinitives.
ER
REGARD
IR
FIN
RE
RÉPOND
ER
FINIR
RÉPONDR_
REGARD
2ND
3RD
1ST
2ND
3RD
PLURAL
1ST
SINGULAR
Step 1: Choose the correct subject
pronoun (the person doing the verb).
ENGLISH
FRENCH
I
je/j’
YOU
tu
HE/SHE/WE
il/elle/on
WE
nous
YOU
vous
THEY
ils/elles
That magic R is why we do a little bit of chopping
when we remove the E from the –RE infinitives.
ER
REGARD
IR
FIN
RE
RÉPOND
ER
FINIR
RÉPONDR_
REGARD
Step 3: Add the correct ending to make the conditional tense.
The great thing is that the endings are exactly the same as the
imperfect tense!
avoir
Je
Tu
il/elle/on
Nous
Vous
ils/elles
-ER
Stem + ais
Stem + ais
Stem + ait
Stem + ions
Stem + iez
Stem + aient
-IR
-RE
Now you will see a demonstration of
how to apply this knowledge in
some examples.
When creating verbs yourself, you
can either use a paper dictionary or
an online dictionary like
www.wordreference.com
Look at the following examples and
conjugate verbs by following the patterns.
Remember the 3 important steps.
Pause the video to complete each task
before carrying on.
Remember: Practice makes perfect.
ER
• E.g.
•
•
•
•
•
•
regarder
Je regarderais
Tu regarderais
Il/Elle regarderait
Nous regarderions
Vous regarderiez
Ils/Elles regarderaient
to watch
Conjugate 3 of these verbs following the same
pattern as regarder:
Aimer – to like (J’ in the “I” form)
Jouer – to play
Travailler – to work
Marcher – to walk
Dessiner – to draw
Détester – to hate
Copier – to copy
Porter – to wear
Écouter – to listen (J’ in the “I” form)
Voyager – to travel
Manger – to eat
IR
• E.g.
•
•
•
•
•
•
finir
Je finirais
Tu finirais
Il/Elle finirait
Nous finirions
Vous finiriez
Ils/Elles finiraient
to finish
Conjugate 3 of these verbs following the
same pattern as finir:
bâtir - to build
choisir – to choose
établir - to establish (J’ in the “I” form)
grossir - to gain weight, get fat
guérir - to cure, heal, recover
maigrir - to lose weight, get thin
nourrir - to feed, nourish
punir – to punish
réussir – to succeed
RE
• E.g.
•
•
•
•
•
•
répondre
to answer/respond
Je répondrais
Conjugate 3 of these verbs following the
same pattern as répondre:
Tu répondrais
entendre - to hear (J’ in the “I” form)
Il/Elle répondrait
pendre - to hang, suspend
Nous répondrions
perdre - to lose
prétendre - to claim
Vous répondriez
rendre - to give back, return
- to spread, scatter
Ils/Elles répondraient répandre
vendre - to sell
AIDE-MÉMOIRE: FRENCH CONDITIONAL TENSE
Subject + (space) + Stem* + Ending
•
•
•
•
•
•
je/j’
tu
il/elle/on
nous
vous
ils/elles
+ ais
+ ais
+ ait
+ ions
+ iez
+ aient
Je mangerais – I would eat
Tu remplirais – You would fill
Vous vendriez – You would sell
*Stem = The Infinitive, except for –RE verbs where
you must remove the –E first. Remember the irregulars too!
Now translate these verbs into French, remembering the important steps.
Pause the video, complete the activity and then mark your work.
If you get it wrong, correct your answer so you learn from your mistake.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I would copy
She would travel
They (m) would punish
We would lose
You (s) would succeed
He would wear
•
•
•
•
•
•
Je copierais
Elle voyagerait
Ils puniraient
Nous perdrions
Tu réussirais
Il porterait
The irregular verbs
• There are some very important irregular verbs that need to be considered.
• Can you guess which ones?
• They are the usual suspects: être, avoir, faire and aller. The good news is
that the endings are still the same, so no need to worry too much. Once
you know the stems, you just need to apply all your wonderful knowledge.
• Être – ser
• Avoir – aur
• Faire – fer
• Aller – ir
PLUS THESE COMMON VERBS
• To have to (must) - Devoir – devr
• To be able to (can) - Pouvoir – pourr
• To know - Savoir - saur
Now translate these verbs into French, remembering the important steps and the
fact that these are all irregular!
Pause the video, complete the activity and then mark your work.
If you get it wrong, correct your answer so you learn from your mistake.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I would go
He would do/make
We would be able to
You (p) would have to
I would be
They would have
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
J’irais
Il ferait
Nous pourrions
Vous devriez
Je serais
Ils/Elles auraient
FRENCH VERBS: CONDITIONAL TENSE
Who is doing the verb?
Which subject pronoun do I need?
What do I need to do to create the stem for the verb?
What are the correct endings that need to be added?
AIMS:
To learn how to recognise regular and irregular conditional tense verbs.
To learn how to form regular and irregular conditional tense verbs.