the conditional tense Flashcards
when do you use the conditional?
-to convey ‘would’ ‘could’ or ‘should’
-to talk about what would happen or how something would be.
conditional of être
je serais
tu serais
il serait
nous serions
vous seriez
ils seraient
conditional of avoir
je aurais
tu aurais
il aurait
nous aurions
vous auriez
ils auraient
it would be sad if we were all the same
ce serait triste si tout le mode se ressemblait
conditional is also used in journalism to allege…
an unproven statement
e.g there are said to be two thousand gypsies
=Le Roms seraient deux mille
how to form the conditional…
- start with future tense stem
- add the conditional endings (same as imperfect endings)
i would watch
je regarderais
they would watch
ils regarderaient
they would choose
ils choisiraient
you would respond
tu répondrais
they would respond
ils répondraient
how to form -should/ought to
- devoir in the conditional
- plus infinitive
we should leave soon
nous devrions partir bientôt
how to form could/might
- pouvoir in the conditional
- plus infinitive
you could take the bus
vous pourriez prendre le bus
