Conditionnel présent

Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.I would like a coffee, please.

The conditionnel présent is French's way of saying "would" — asking for something politely, giving advice, or talking about something that isn't quite real. The good news: it reuses a stem already known from the futur simple, just with a different set of endings.

Quick shortcut: futur simple stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).

How it's formed

Take the same stem used for the futur simple — for regular verbs, that's the infinitive (dropping the final -e for -re verbs) — and add the imparfait endings, which are the same for every verb in French.

Any verb with an irregular futur simple stem keeps that same irregular stem here — the futur simple has the full list, but the ones that matter most for everyday polite requests and advice are:

Polite requests

Vouloir and pouvoir in the conditionnel are the everyday way to ask for something politely — much softer than the present tense.

• Je voudrais une table pour deux. (I would like a table for two.) — softer than Je veux une table pour deux.
• Pourriez-vous m'aider ? (Could you help me?) — softer than Pouvez-vous m'aider ?
• Auriez-vous l'heure ? (Would you have the time?)

Giving advice

Devoir in the conditionnel is the standard way to give advice — "should," not the stronger obligation of the present tense devoir.

• Tu devrais te reposer. (You should rest.)
• À ta place, je partirais plus tôt. (In your place, I would leave earlier.)
• Vous devriez consulter un médecin. (You should see a doctor.)

Hypothetical situations

The conditionnel also talks about something that isn't real — a wish, or a plan that depends on something else.

• Ça serait génial de voyager ensemble. (It would be great to travel together.)
• J'aimerais habiter à Paris un jour. (I would like to live in Paris one day.)

This use very often pairs with an "if" clause, following the pattern si + imparfait, conditionnel présent:

• Si j'avais plus de temps, je voyagerais davantage. (If I had more time, I would travel more.)
• Si tu me le demandais, je t'aiderais volontiers. (If you asked me, I'd be happy to help.)

Never si + conditionnel (❌ Si je voudrais...) — in this hypothetical pattern, the si-clause stays in the imparfait and only the main clause takes the conditionnel. (A si-clause can take other tenses in other patterns — this pairing has its own fuller set of rules covered separately, including the negative and other combinations.)

Common mistakes

• ❌ Je voudrai un café. → ✅ Je voudrais un café. (the ending is -ais, not -ai — easy to confuse with the futur simple, which uses the -ai ending instead)
• Je veux partir tôt is grammatical but blunt → Je voudrais partir tôt softens it into a preference rather than a flat statement of will.
• ❌ Tu doirais te reposer. → ✅ Tu devrais te reposer. (the stem is devr-, not doir- — easy to guess wrong from the infinitive devoir)

Quick check

Put the verb in brackets into the conditionnel présent.

1. (vouloir, je) ____ un thé, s'il vous plaît.
2. (pouvoir, vous) ____ m'aider une seconde ?
3. (devoir, tu) ____ dormir plus.
4. Ça (être) ____ plus simple de prendre le train.

Key takeaways

• Conditionnel présent = futur simple stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).
• Any verb with an irregular futur simple stem (voudr-, pourr-, devr-, ser-, aur-, ir-, fer-...) keeps that same stem here.
• Used for polite requests (je voudrais, pourriez-vous), advice (tu devrais, à ta place je...), and hypothetical situations (ce serait, j'aimerais).
• Often pairs with an "if" clause in the imparfait: si + imparfait, conditionnel présent in the main clause.