Konditionaalinen

Konditionaalinen is a term in Finnish grammar used to describe the conditional mood, a verb form system that expresses hypothetical situations, wishes under certain conditions, or polite requests. In Finnish, konditionaali mood is a distinct way of speaking about what would happen under different circumstances, similar in function to the English would and could.

There are two main forms: konditionaali I and konditionaali II. Konditionaali I is used for present or future hypothetical situations, such as actions that would occur if a condition were met. For example, "Jos minulla olisi aikaa, menisin elokuviin" means "If I had time, I would go to the movies." Konditionaali II expresses past hypotheticals or counterfactuals, often translating to "would have" in English. For example, "Jos en olisi myöhästynyt, olisin tullut" means "If I hadn’t been late, I would have come."

The mood is also used to soften requests or statements, making them more polite. Common examples include verbs in the conditional form used with question words or direct requests, such as "Voisitko auttaa?" meaning "Could you help?" The exact formation depends on the verb and its conjugation class, with -isi- acting as a core conditional marker in konditionaali I, and the past conditional relying on an auxiliary form of olla (often in a conditional) plus a participle for konditionaali II.

Konditionaalinen thus covers a range of hypothetical meaning, from polite requests to imagined outcomes, and plays a central role in expressing modality in Finnish. See also Finnish grammar, konditionaali, and conditional clauses introduced by jos.