The French conditionalThe conditional - would, could, should

The conditional is used to express what would, could or should happen. It is used to say what would happen if certain conditions were fulfilled. For example:

• Je regarderais la télévision toute la journée. – I would watch TV all day.
• Ce serait super ! – It would be great!

It is often used with ‘if’ clauses and the imperfect tense to say what you would do if the circumstances were different. For example:

• S’ils avaient plus d’argent, ils iraient en France. – If they had more money, they would go to France.
• Si c’était plus facile, je le ferais tous les jours. – If it was easier, I would do it every day.

The conditional can also be used for politeness to say what someone would like. For example:

• Je voudrais un café - I would like a coffee - is more polite than je veux un café - I want a coffee.

The conditional of devoir can be used to offer advice, or to tell someone what they should do. For example:

• Tu devrais faire tes devoirs - you should do your homework rather than tu dois faire tes devoirs - you must do your homework.

The conditional of pouvoir can be used to make a suggestion or to tell someone what they could do. For example:

• Vous pourriez visiter le musée - you could visit the museum rather than vous pouvez visiter le musée - you can visit the museum.

There is an important difference between the imperfectje pouvais (I could – I was able to) and the conditional je pourrais (I could – I would be able to).

• Si je pouvais vendre ma voiture, je pourrais acheter une moto. If I could (was able to) sell my car, I could (would be able to) buy a motorbike.
• Si nous pouvions sortir le soir, nous pourrions plus nous amuser. If we could (were able to) go out in the evening, we could (would be able to) have more fun.

Fill in the correct form of the conditional.