Conditional Tenses: Present and Past
The present conditional tense corresponds to "would." It
is used after the imperfect in a conditional sentence. Most conditionals
sentences begin with si (if). Si j'étais (imperfect)dans une autre famille, est-ce que je serais(conditional)
plus heureuse ? If I were in another family, would I be happier? However,
do not confuse the conditional would with the would that expresses
a repeated action in the past. If would means used to, then
the imperfect tense is used. Quand nous étions(imperfect)
en vacances, nous dormions (imperfect) jusqu'à midi. When
we were on vacation, we would (used to) sleep until noon.
To form, use the infinitive and add the imperfect endings. But remember
to drop the -e on -re verbs.
-ais -ions
-ais -iez
-ait -aient
Also, you use the same irregular stems and exceptions for the conditional
that are used for the future tense. You may have noticed that the future
and conditional forms for je seem to be pronounced the same.
Actually, the future ending is pronounced ay and the conditional
like eh. However, it is difficult to understand the differences
in spoken French and most people pronounce them the same anyway.
The past conditional is formed by using the conditional of avoir or être
and a past participle. It corresponds to "would have" and is used in
hypothetical sentences.
Il n'aurait jamais dit ça ! He would have
never said that!
If... sentences
When si (if) is used in sentences of condition, the verb tenses change.
These pretty much correspond to English usage.
1. Si + present tense + present, imperative, or future
Si je suis fatiguée, je me repose. If I'm tired, I rest.
Repose-toi si tu es fatigué. Rest if you're tired.
Si je suis fatigué demain, je me reposerai. If I am tired tomorrow,
I will rest.
2. Si + imperfect + present conditional
Si j'étais riche, je pourrais acheter un château. If I
were rich, I would buy a castle.
Il deviendrait roi s'il avait plus de courage. He would become king
if he had more courage.
3. Si + pluperfect + past conditional
Si j'avais su, j'aurais compris. If I had known, I would have understood.
It is possible to have past conditional with the imperfect, and it is also
possible to have present conditional with pluperfect. However, you
can never have the future or conditional tenses directly following si.
They must be in the other clause. (This is a rule in English
too... you can't say "If I will go tomorrow")
This article was used with permission from:
Indo-European Languages