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French · Grammar · B1

The French future and conditional: one stem, two sets of endings

The future says what will happen; the conditional says what would happen. French builds both on the same stem, usually the whole infinitive. Learn the stem once and you have two tenses.

STEM = INFINITIVE · ENDINGS DECIDE THE TENSE parler- the whole infinitive FUTURE · endings of avoir je parlerai CONDITIONAL · endings of the imperfect je parlerais par-luh-RAY“I will speak” par-luh-REH“I would speak”
The future endings are the present tense of avoir (j’ai, tu as, il a…). The conditional endings are the imperfect endings. Nothing new to memorise.

Short answer: for plans, French usually says je vais + infinitive (I’m going to). The simple future, je parlerai, is for predictions, promises and formal plans. The conditional, je parlerais, is for wishes, polite requests and “if” situations: Si j’avais le temps, je voyagerais.

Two futures: aller + infinitive, and the simple future

Like English “going to” and “will”, French has two ways to talk about the future. In conversation, the near future with aller is far more common. The simple future sounds more certain, more distant or more formal.

Near future · aller + infinitivePlans and things about to happen. The everyday choice.
Simple future · je partiraiPredictions, promises, formal plans, and anything after quand about the future.

The endings side by side

Add the endings to the infinitive. For -re verbs, drop the final e first: prendre → prendr-. Every form has an r just before the ending; that r is the signal you are hearing a future or conditional. Press a row to hear both.

SubjectFuture · willConditional · would
je je finiraifee-nee-RAY je finiraisfee-nee-REH
tu tu finirasfee-nee-RAH tu finiraisfee-nee-REH
il / elle / on il finirafee-nee-RAH il finiraitfee-nee-REH
nous nous finironsfee-nee-ROH(N) nous finirionsfee-nee-RYOH(N)
vous vous finirezfee-nee-RAY vous finiriezfee-nee-RYAY
ils / elles ils finirontfee-nee-ROH(N) ils finiraientfee-nee-REH

Listen to je finirai (-RAY) and je finirais (-REH): only the final vowel differs. Many French speakers merge them, so context usually tells you which is meant.

Irregular stems

About a dozen common verbs use a special stem. The endings stay regular, so once you know the stem, both tenses follow. Each card shows the stem, then the future and the conditional for je.

What the conditional is for

Polite requestsSoftens a question, like English “could” or “would”.
Pourriez-couldvousyoum’aider ?me-help
poo-ryay-VOO meh-DAY “Could you help me?”
WishesWith aimer or vouloir: what you would like.
J’aimeraisI-would-likevisiterto-visitletheJapon.Japan
zhem-REH vee-zee-TAY luh zhah-POH(N) “I’d love to visit Japan.”
AdviceDevoir in the conditional means “should”.
Tuyoudevraisshouldteyourselfreposer.rest
tü duh-VREH tuh ruh-poh-ZAY “You should get some rest.”
Unconfirmed newsJournalists use it for reports not yet verified: “reportedly”.
Letheministreministerseraitwould-bemalade.ill
luh mee-NEESS-truh suh-REH mah-LAHD “The minister is reportedly ill.”

Si clauses: which tense goes with which

A sentence with si (if) has two halves: the condition and the result. French pairs the tenses in fixed combinations. The rule English speakers need most: never put the future or conditional directly after si.

MeaningSi + …ResultExample
Real possibility present future
Imagined now imperfect conditional
Imagined past pluperfect past conditional
real, likelysi + present → futureS’il pleut, je resterai. imagined, nowsi + imperfect → conditionalS’il pleuvait, je resterais. imagined, pastsi + pluperfect → past cond.S’il avait plu, je serais resté.
From left to right the situation moves further from reality: “if it rains”, “if it were raining”, “if it had rained”. Si becomes s’ only before il and ils.
Future after quand

Quand je serai grand…

English uses the present after “when” about the future (“when I am older”). French uses the future: quand je serai grand. The same goes for dès que (as soon as), lorsque and aussitôt que.

QuandwhenjeIseraiwill-begrand…big
kon zhuh suh-RAY GRON · “When I grow up…”
Dès queas-soon-astuyouarriveras,will-arriveappelle-moi.call-me
day kuh tü a-ree-vuh-RA, a-pel-MWA · “As soon as you arrive, call me.”
JeIteyoudiraiwill-tellquandwhenjeIsaurai.will-know
zhuh tuh dee-RAY kon zhuh so-RAY · “I’ll tell you when I know.”
The past conditional

J’aurais dû, il aurait fallu

The past conditional is avoir or être in the conditional + a past participle. It expresses regret and missed chances, and it is the tense of rumours in the news: le suspect aurait fui, “the suspect is said to have fled”.

  1. Regret
    J’aurais dûI-would-have had-topartir.leave
    zho-RAY DÜ par-TEER · “I should have left.”
  2. Missed chance
    Onweaurait puwould-have been-ablegagner.win
    on o-RAY PÜ ga-NYAY · “We could have won.”
  3. Si clause
    Siifj’avais su,I-had knownje serais venu.I would-have come
    see zha-VAY SÜ, zhuh suh-RAY vuh-NÜ · “If I had known, I would have come.”
  4. News report
    Le suspectthe suspectauraitwould-havefui.fled
    luh süs-PAY o-RAY FWEE · “The suspect is said to have fled.”

Related guides

Next guidePronouns y and enJ’y vais, j’en veux: the other B1 essential. Next guideThe imperfectIts endings are the conditional’s endings. Next guideThe present tenseAller for the near future, avoir for the endings. Course mapFrench hubThe full course map from A1 to C2.