Hypothèses et Suppositions (Hypotheses)

What You'll LearnHow to form the 'would' tense (the present conditional) for regular and common irregular verbs.How to use this tense to make suggestions and talk about 'what if' situations.How to use this tense to make a polite request or give advice.Imagine you've won a trip anywhere in French-speaking Canada! 🗺️ Where irais-tu (would you go) [ee-RAY-too]? What ferais-tu (would you do) [fuh-RAY-too]? Maybe tu pourrais (you could) [too poo-RAY] visit Old Quebec, or maybe tu aimerais (you would like) [too em-uh-RAY] to see a hockey game in Montreal! 🏒 This special verb form, called the present conditional, is what we use to talk about all these fun possibilities. It's like saying 'would' or 'could' in English.When You'll Use ThisGiving a friend some advice.Ordering politely in a restauran...

The 'would' tense often uses verbs you already know. The trick is to learn a few super common verbs that have special, irregular forms. Let's look at the most important ones:French Verb (Infinitive Form)Special 'Would' StemExample (using 'je' (I) [zhuh])être (to be) [ET-ruh]ser-Je serais content (I would be happy) [zhuh suh-RAY kohn-TAHN].avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR]aur-J'aurais besoin d'aide (I would need help) [zho-RAY buh-ZWAN ded].aller (to go) [ah-LAY]ir-J'irais au cinéma (I would go to the movies) [zhee-RAY oh see-nay-MAH].faire (to do/make) [FAIR]fer-Je ferais un gâteau (I would make a cake) [zhuh fuh-RAY uhn gah-TOH].pouvoir (to be able to/can) [poo-VWAR]pourr-Je pourrais t'aider (I could help you) [zhuh poo-RAY teh-DAY].devoir (to have to/must) [duh-VWAR]devr-Je devrais étudier (I sh...

How to Form the 'Would' TenseThe Rule: To create the 'would' tense, you start with the verb's special future stem and add one of these endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.For most regular verbs ending in -er and -ir, the stem is just the full verb! For verbs ending in -re, just drop the final 'e' to get the stem.Parler (to speak) [par-LAY] -> je parlerais (I would speak) [zhuh par-luh-RAY]Finir (to finish) [fee-NEER] -> tu finirais (you would finish) [too fee-nee-RAY]Attendre (to wait) [ah-TAHN-druh] -> il attendrait (he would wait) [eel ah-tahn-DRAY]When to Use the 'Would' TenseThe Rule: We use this tense to talk about:A wish or a dream: J'aimerais (I would like) [zhem-uh-RAY] voyager autour du monde (to travel around the world) [vwa-ya-ZHAY oh-TOOR doo MOHND].Advice or a sugge...