19 Nov

Italian Conditional Tense

The Conditional is a verbal mode that expresses conditions related to uncertainty such as desires, doubts, hypotheses.

The conditional is also used for formal requests and expressions.

Italian Conditional Tense: easy rules to follow

The Present Conditional (or simple)

The present conditional is formed from the infinitive of the verb and the verbal endings -ARE, -ERE, -IRE are replaced with the different declinations:

Also in the Italian conditional, there are verbs that always follow the same rules, called regular.

The present conditional maintains the same endings for verbs ending in -ARE and-ERE, as in the future tense verbs.

The present conditional has the same irregular verbs as the future tense.

The verbs “ESSERE/to be” and “AVERE/ to have” are also irregular.

THE PRESENT CONDITIONAL IS USED FOR:

To express desires

• Andrei a vivere alle Bahamas. /I would go to live in the Bahamas.
• Vorrei scalare l’Everest! /I would like to climb Mount Everest!

To give advice

• Potresti studiare l’italiano con un madrelingua./ You could study Italian with a native speaker.
• Dovresti fare più sport./You should do more sports.

To express doubts or hypothesis

• Potrebbe piovere, prenditi l’ombrello! /It could rain, take an umbrella!
• Mirko dovrebbe essere già arrivato a casa. /Mirko should be home by now.

To make polite requests

• Potresti chiudere la finestra per favore? /Could you close the window please?
• Vorrei parlare con il direttore. /I’d like to speak with the manager.

Download ELLCI’s conditional sheet to have it always with you.