The Conditional Flashcards
1
Q
The Conditional
How is the conditional formed?
A
To form the conditional one takes the future stem of the verb and adds the endings of the imperfect tense:
- ais,
- ais,
- ait,
- ions
- iez,
- aient.
2
Q
The Conditional
Which are the spelling changes in the conditional?
A
The same that occur in the simple future.
3
Q
The Conditional
I would go (I would go away)
A
j’irais
4
Q
The Conditional
I would sit down.
A
je m’assiérais (or j’assoirais)
5
Q
The Conditional
I would have
A
j’aurais
6
Q
The Conditional
I would beat
A
j’battrais
7
Q
The Conditional
I would drink
A
je boirais
8
Q
The Conditional
I would drive
A
je conduirais
9
Q
The Conditional
I would know
A
je connaîtrais
10
Q
The Conditional
I would fear
A
je craindrais
11
Q
The Conditional
I would believe
A
je croirais
12
Q
The Conditional
I ought to, I should
A
je devrais
13
Q
The Conditional
I would say
A
je dirais
14
Q
The Conditional
I would sleep
A
je dormirais
15
Q
The Conditional
I would write
A
j’écrirais
16
Q
The Conditional
I would send
A
j’enverrais
17
Q
The Conditional
I would be
A
je serais
18
Q
The Conditional
I would do
A
je ferais
19
Q
The Conditional
it would be necessary
A
il faudrait
20
Q
The Conditional
I would read
A
je lirais
21
Q
The Conditional
I would put
A
je mettrais
22
Q
The Conditional
I would die
A
je mourrais
23
Q
The Conditional
I would be born
A
je naîtrais
24
Q
The Conditional
I would open
A
j’ouvrirais
25
The Conditional
| I would please
je plairais
26
The Conditional
| it would rain
il pleuvrait
27
The Conditional
| Iwould be able, I could
je pourrais
28
The Conditional
| I would take
je prendrais
29
The Conditional
| I would receive
je recevrais
30
The Conditional
| I would laugh
je rirais
31
The Conditional
| I would know
je saurais
32
The Conditional
| I would follow
je suivrais
33
The Conditional
| I would hold
je tiendrais
34
The Conditional
| I would be worth
je vaudrais
35
The Conditional
| I would come
je viendrais
36
The Conditional
| I would see
je voirais
37
The Conditional
| I would see
je verrais
38
The Conditional
| I would like
je voudrais
39
The Conditional
| there would be
il y aurait
40
The Conditional
| it would be better
il vaudrait mieux
41
The Conditional
| Which are the three irregular verbs that have a special meaning in the present conditional?
```
je voudrais (I would like)
je devrais (I ought to, should)
je pourrais (I could)
```
42
The Conditional
| When is the conditional used?
1. Indicates (as in English) a possibility or eventuality
Ce serait un dommage. - That would be a shame.
2. Expresses (as in English) a subdued wish or desire (withe the verbs ''aimer'' and ''vouloir'')
J'aimerais avoir deux enfants.
3. Makes (as in English) a request more polite (with verbs as ''vouloir'', ''pouvoir'', ''avoir'', ''savoir'' and ''connaître'')
Je voudrais une tasse de café s'il vous plait.
4. Expresses a suggestion or an advice and, withe the verb ''devoir'', an obligation (English: should, ought to).
À votre place, je ne suivrais pas son conseil.
5. Is always used after the conjunction ''au cas où'' (in case). (Englishe uses the present tense)
Voilà mon numéro de téléphone, au cas où vous auriez besoin de moi.
6. As its name indicates, the present conditional is mainly used to describe what would happen under a certain condition. This condition (which is not fulfilled at the moment of the statement, but could be fulfilled in the future) is usually introduced be si=if. In such sentences, the verb in the si-clause is in the imperfect, and the verb in the main clause is in the present conditional. The si-clause can be either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
Si j'étais malade, j'irais chez le médecin.
7. Is used (as in English) in a subordinate clause after the conjunction ''que'' (that) and after ''si'' (whether) to express an action or situation that ocurred later in time than the verb in the main clause, if this verb is in a past tense. Here, the conditional indicates a future action in the past.
Je savais qu'il viendrait.
8. Is used as the conditional of the press to report alleged facts.
Il y a eu un tremblement de terre en Grèce hier soir. Il y aurait des milliers de victimes.
9. In formal French, the present conditional of ''savoir'' is the equivalent of ''pouvoir'' (can, be able to) when used in a negative sentence before an infinitive. ''Pas'' is omitted in these expressions.
Je ne saurais vous le dire.
Je ne saurais répondre à cette question.
43
The Conditional
| What would I do without you?
Qu'est-ce que je ferais sans toi?
44
The Conditional
| How would I know it?
Comment est-ce que je le suarais?
45
The Conditional
| Could you close the window?
Pourriez-vous fermer la fenêtre?
46
The Conditional
| Could I ask you a question?
Est-ce que je pourrais vous poser une question?
47
```
The Conditional
Would you (happen to) have the time?
```
Auriez-vous l'heure?
48
```
The Conditional
Would you (happen to) know where Fabrot street is?
```
Sauriez-vous où se trouve la rue Fabrot?
49
The Conditional
| Would you know a good bistro nearby?
Connaîtriez-vous un bon bistro près d'ici?
50
The Conditional
| You should read this novel.
Tu devrais lire ce roman.
51
```
The Conditional
You should (ought to) think about it.
```
Vous devriez y réfléchir.
52
The Conditional
| I would be happy if you came tonight.
Je serais content(e) si vous veniez ce soir.
53
The Conditional
| What would you say if you were in my position?
Qu'est-ce que tu dirais si tu étais à ma place?
54
The Conditional
| If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.
Si je gagnais à la loterie, je ferais le tour du monde.
55
The Conditional
| She said that she would call.
Elle a dit qu'elle téléphonerait.
56
The Conditional
| They asked me whether I would go the party.
Ils m'ont demandé si j'irais à la soirée.
57
The Conditional
| would rather
aimer mieux (+infinitive)
58
The Conditional
| I'd rather go shopping than stay at home.
J'aimerais mieux faire des courses que rester à la maison.
59
The Conditional
| had better
faire mieux (+de+infinitive)
60
The Conditional
| You had better be quiet.
Tu ferais mieeux de te taire.
61
The Conditional
| They would go to church every Sunday.
Ils allaient à l'église tous les dimanches.
62
The Conditional
| Would you please close the door?
Voulez-vous (or: Voudriez-vous) fermer la porte?
63
The Conditional
| He wouldn't tell me.
Il n'a pas voulu me le dire.
64
The Conditional
| Could you do me a favor?
Pourriez-vous me rendre un service?
65
The Conditional
| I wonder whether he could help us.
Je me demande s'il pourrait nous aider.
66
The Conditional
| I tried to sleep but I couldn't
J'ai essayé de dormir, mais je n'ai pas pu.
67
The Conditional
| I couldn't understand what he was saying.
Je ne pouvais pas (or: je n'ai pas pu) comprendre ce qu'il disait.
68
The Conditional
| How is the past conditional formed?
The past conditional is a compound tense formed by using the present conditional of ''avoir'' or ''être'' and the past participle of the verb. The past conditional follows the same rules as the passé composé as far as the agreement of the past participle is concerned.
69
The Conditional
| Which are the three irregular verbs that have a special meaning in the past conditional?
j'aurais voulu - I would have liked
j'aurais dû - I should have
j'aurais pu - I could have
70
The Conditional
| I would have liked to be a nurse.
J'aurais voulu être infirmière.
71
The Conditional
| You should have known it.
Tu aurais dû le savoir.
72
The Conditional
| He could have done it.
Il aurait pu le faire.
73
The Conditional
| there would have been
il y aurait eu
74
The Conditional
| it would have been necessary
il y aurait fallu
75
The Conditional
| it would have been better
il aurait mieux valu
76
The Conditional
| When is the past conditional used?
1. As in english, the past conditional expresses a possibility or eventuality in the past.
Tôt ou tard, les gens l'auraient su. (Sooner or later, people would have found it)
2. Is used after ''au cas où''
Au cas où vous auriez perdu votre montre, vous pourriez emprunter la mienne.
3. Frequently expresses a reproach or regret about an action that was not performed in the past (often with the verbs ''devoir'', ''vouloir'' and ''pouvoir'')
Il aurait dû s'excuser.
4. Describes what would have happened in the past under a certain condition. This condition (mentioned in a si (if) clause) was not met and can no longer be fulfilled. In such sentences, the verb in the si-clause is in the pluperfect, and the verb in the main clause is in the past conditional. the si-clause can be at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
Si tu étais parti plus tôt, tu n'aurais pas manqué l'avion.
5. Is used in a subordinate clause after the conjunction ''que'' (that) and after ''si'' (whether) to express an action or situation that ocurred later in time than the verb in the main clause, if this verb is in a past tense. Here, the conditional indicates a future action in the past.
J'étais sûr qu'il serait parti avant mon retour.
6. escribes a past action or situation the certainty of which has not been confirmed. Like the present conditional, it is widely used by the news media to report alleged facts.
Frédéric II aurait invité Voltaire au château de Sans-Souci avec le message codé.
77
The Conditional
| She would have been happy if she had received an award.
Elle aurait été contente si elle avait reçu un prix.
78
The Conditional
| They believed that we would have been angry.
Ils ont cru que nous aurions été fâches.
79
The Conditional
| He was wandering whether he could have gone there.
Il se demandait s'il aurait pu y aller.
80
The Conditional
| We didn't know whether we would have managed to do it.
Nous ne savions pas si nous serions arrivés à la faire.
81
The Conditional
| And Voltaire allegedly answered him...
Et Voltaire lui aurait répondu...
82
The Conditional
| Which are the three most common tense sequences in conditional sentences?
SI CLAUSE - MAIN CLAUSE
present tense + future tense
imperfect + present conditional
pluperfect + past conditional
83
The Conditional
| Which are possible tense sequences in conditional sentences with si-clause in present tense?
```
présent + présent
+ futur
+ futur proche
+ futur antérieur
+ impératif
```
84
The Conditional
| Which are possible tense sequences in conditional sentences with si-clause in passé composé?
passé composé + présent
+ futur
+ futur proche
+ futur antérieur
+ impératif
+ imparfait
+ passé compsé
85
The Conditional
| Which are possible tense sequences in conditional sentences with si-clause in imparfait?
imparfait + conditionnel présent
| + conditionnel passé
86
The Conditional
| Which are possible tense sequences in conditional sentences with si-clause in plus-que-parfait?
plus-que-parfait + conditionnel passé
| + conditionnel présent
87
The Conditional
| If I am tired I sit down.
Si je suis fatigué, je m'assieds.
88
The Conditional
| If there is an earthquake, we will be afraid.
S'il y a un tremblement de terre, nous aurons peur.
89
The Conditional
| If it's OK with you, we are going to leave in one hour.
Si vous êtes d'accord, nous allons partir dans une heure.
90
The Conditional
| If you don't start right away, you will not have finished on time.
Si tu ne commences pas tout de suit, tu n'auras pas fini à temps.
91
The Conditional
| If you go to the bakery, buy a baguette.
Si tu vas à la boulangerie, achète une baguette.
92
The Conditional
| If my parents left on time, they are now in Paris.
Si mes parents sont partis à l'heure, ils sont maintenant à Paris.
93
The Conditional
| If he took the plane, he will be in France tonight.
S'il a pris l'avion, il sera en France ce soir.
94
The Conditional
| If you did that, you are going to be in trouble.
Si tu a fait cela, tu vas avoir des ennuis.
95
The Conditional
| If he already started, he will be finished soon.
S'il a déjà commencé, il aura bientôt fini.
96
The Conditional
| If you arrived late, apologize.
Si vous êtes arrivé en retard, excusez-vous.
97
The Conditional
| If he didn't say anything, he didn't know what to say.
S'il n'a rien dit, il ne savait pas quoi dire.
98
The Conditional
| If he went to Italy, he surely had good weather.
S'il est allé en Italie, il a sûrement eu du beau temps.
99
The Conditional
| If it rained, I would stay at home.
S'il pleuvait, je resterais à la maison.
100
The Conditional
| If you had children, you would have acted like me.
Si vous aviez des enfants, vous auriez agi comme moi.
101
The Conditional
| If I had earned a lot of money, I would have gone to Hawaii.
Si j'avais gagné beaucoup d'argent, je serais allé à Hawaï.
102
The Conditional
| If I had not seen the film, I would be sad.
Si je n'avais pas vu le film, je serais triste.
