Conditionnel (Condtional)

Used to address the if (si) conditions

infinitive(stem of the future) + the following endings:

Note: verbs ending with -re will drop the e of the infinitive

Example:

• The conditional present (hypothése du présent)

  Si + imparfait + conditional

  1. It is used to describe what someone would do or wold be doing or what would happen (if something else were to happen)

     -si j'étais riche, j'achèterais un château(if I was/were rich, I would buy a castle)
     -si j'avais le temp, j'irais au cinéma(if I had time, I would go to the cinema)
     

  2. To make hypothetical comparisons(if I was (that), I would be (that)/if he was (that), he would be (that))

     -j'étais un arbre, je serais...(if I was a tree, I would be...)
     

  3. It is also used in indirect questions or reported speech instead of the future

     il me m'a pas dit s'il viendrait(he didn't tell me if he would come)
     

• The conditional perfect/past conditional (hypothése du passé)

  Si + plu-que-parfait(pluperfect) + conditional passé(past conditional)

  1. Used to express what someone would have done or would have been doing or what would have happened(expression of regrest, remorse or reproch)

     -si j'avais su, je n'aurais rien dit(if I had known, I wouldn't have said anything)
     -qu'aurais-je fait sans toi?(what would I have sone without you?)
     

     Regret

     -Si j'avais eu le temps, je serais allée au parc(If I had time, I would have gone to the park)
     

     Remorse

     -si j'avais su, je a'aurais pas acheté cette chaise, elle n'est pas confortable(If I had known, I would not have bought this chair, it's not confortable)
     

     Reproch si + pluperfect + conditional present

     -si tu avais travaillé plus, tu parlerais mieux aujourd'hui(if you had worked more, you would speak better today)
     

• The conditional future (hypothése du futur)

  Used to express something that can happen in the future

  Si + present + future simple/ future proche

  -si j'ai le temp, j'irai au marché(if I have time, I will go to the market)
  -si j'ai le temp, je « vais passer » a la boulangerie(if I have time, I'll go to the bakery)
  

  Si + présent + impératif

  -si tu as le temp, passe à la boulangerie(if you have time, go to the bakery)
  

  Si + présent + présent

  -s'il pleut, je prends la voiture(if it rains, I take the car)
  

• tense after si

  The tense of the verb introduce by the si is determined by the tense of the verb in the main clause

  |Main verb|Verb following si| |--|--| |conditional present|imperfect| |conditional perfect(past)|pluperfect|

  -je te le dirais si je le savais(I would tell you if I knew)
  -je te l'aurais dit si je l'avais su
  

  Note: si is used in conditional future only if its meaning is whether (ie when it introduces an indirect question)

  je me demande si j'y serais arrivé sans toi(I wonder whether I would have managed without you)