conditionnel

Conditionnel refers to the conditional mood in French grammar. It is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions, or to state things politely. In standard usage, the conditionnel comprises two tenses: le conditionnel présent and le conditionnel passé. It can convey possibility, conjecture, or hypothetical results, and it is often employed to soften statements or requests.

Formation: The conditionnel présent is formed by adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient to the verb stem. For most verbs this stem is the infinitive or a very close form; many common verbs have irregular stems (for example être -> ser-, avoir -> aur-, aller -> ir-, faire -> fer-). The conditionnel passé is formed with the auxiliary verb être or avoir in the conditionnel présent plus the past participle (je aurais parlé, tu serais allé, etc.).

Usage: It is commonly used in conditional clauses with si. In such cases, si + imparfait is followed by the main clause in the conditionnel présent (Si j'avais le temps, je partirais). It is also used to express polite requests or wishes: Je voudrais un café, Pourriez-vous m'aider ? The conditionnel passé expresses actions that would have occurred under different circumstances or makes conjectures about the past (Il aurait été en retard; Elle serait venue si elle avait su).

Examples: Je voyagerais si j'avais de l'argent. Tu finirais ce travail si tu avais plus de temps. J'aurais fini si tu n'étais pas intervenu.