désirerais

Désirerais is the conditional present form of the French verb désirer, meaning to desire or to wish. It corresponds to the first person singular je désirerais and the second person singular tu désirerais, with other persons forming as il/elle désirerait, nous désirerions, vous désireriez, ils/elles désiraient. The word is often used to express a hypothetical wish, a polite request, or a conditional statement in formal or literary contexts.

Etymology and form: Désirer comes from Old French desirer, which itself derives from Latin desiderare, meaning to desire or long for. The conditional present is built on the verb stem désirer- plus the standard conditional endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Usage: In contemporary French, désirerais tends to appear in more formal or literary language. It conveys what one would desire under certain conditions, rather than a straightforward present wish. In everyday speech, people more commonly use voudrais (I would like) to express a polite request or wish. The imperfect form désirais exists as a different mood (imparfait) and can be confused with the conditional form désirerais; the context usually clarifies the meaning.

Examples:

- Je désirerais un café, s’il vous plaît. (I would like a coffee, please.)

- Elle désirerait partir plus tôt si elle pouvait. (She would like to leave earlier if she could.)

- Nous désirerions en savoir plus sur ce projet. (We would like to know more about this project.)

See also: Désirer as a regular -er verb; differences between conditional present and imperfect forms; polite expressions in French.