The conditional is a verbal mood used to express a wish or a desire, to request something politely, to give advice, and to imagine possible outcomes. The conditional has two tenses: the present conditional and the past conditional.
In this post we are going to focus on the present conditional: how to use it and form it. In English, the present conditional is the equivalent of “would + verb.” Keep reading to learn more about it!
How to form the Italian present conditional?
To form the present conditional of regular verbs, simply follow these three steps:
Start with the verb in the infinitive form:
partireTranslation: to leave/departDrop the final -e of the infinitive:
partir-Add the present conditional ending appropriate to the subject:
io = -eipartir-eiTranslation: I would leave/depart
Check the full conjugations of regular verbs in the following table:
| Person | Ending | -are | -ere | -ire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
io | -ei | aspetterei | scriverei | dormirei |
tu | -esti | aspetteresti | scriveresti | dormiresti |
lui/lei/Lei | -ebbe | aspetterebbe | scriverebbe | dormirebbe |
noi | -emmo | aspetteremmo | scriveremmo | dormiremmo |
voi | -este | aspettereste | scrivereste | dormireste |
loro | -ebbero | aspetterebbero | scriverebbero | dormirebbero |
How to conjugate irregular verbs in the present conditional?
The following are some irregular verbs in the present conditional. These are called “stem-changing verbs” because they take the regular endings, but the stem has to change.
Essere meaning to be and avere meaning to have, to own change their stem.
The stem of essere becomes sar-.
The stem of avere drops the first e and becomes avr-.Subject Pronoun essere
meaning to beavere
meaning to haveiosareiavreitusarestiavrestilui/lei/LeisarebbeavrebbenoisaremmoavremmovoisaresteavrestelorosarebberoavrebberoVerbs in -cіare meaning to be and -gіare drop the i in all persons.
Subject Pronoun cominciare
meaning to beginmangiare
meaning to eatiocomincereiNOT ❌ comincierei!mangereiNOT ❌ mangierei!tucomincerestimangerestilui/lei/LeicomincerebbemangerebbenoicominceremmomangeremmovoicomincerestemangerestelorocomincerebberomangerebberoThe modal verbs dovere meaning must, have to and potere meaning can, be able to, drop the e in -ere before adding the ending:
Subject Pronoun dovere potere iodovreipotreitudovrestipotrestilui/lei/LeidovrebbepotrebbenoidovremmopotremmovoidovrestepotrestelorodovrebberopotrebberoThe modal verb volere meaning to want drops le and doubles the r:
Subject Pronoun volere iovorreituvorrestilui/lei/Leivorrebbenoivorremmovoivorrestelorovorrebbero
How to use the present conditional?
The present conditional in Italian is often used to express a condition, either in the main clause or paired with a se meaning if clause to express unlikely and unfulfilled conditions. Furthermore, it can also be used to express desires, requests, doubts, and to give advice. Let’s review all the uses of the present conditional next.
Using the present conditional in a hypothetical sentence
In Italian, the present conditional is used to form type 2 hypothetical sentences and type 3 hypothetical sentences. These are two types of “if-then” sentences which, like in English, contain two clauses, and the present conditional can be used in the main clause.
Type 2 Hypotheticals (for situations that are unlikely but possible):
These sentences describe a situation that is unlikely, but possible, and its potential consequences.
"If" clause
se meaning if + imperfect subjunctiveMain Clause
present conditionalSe avessi tempo, ti darei una mano.Translation: If I had time, I would help you.Type 3 Hypotheticals (for situations that are no longer possible):
These sentences describe a situation that is no longer possible, usually because the chance for it to happen has passed you by.
We use the present conditional in the main clause if the consequence that would have happened would have been realized in the present or future:
"If" clause
se meaning if + past perfect subjunctiveMain Clause
present conditionalSe avessimo comprato i biglietti, oggi saremmo al concerto.Translation: If we had bought the tickets, today we would be at the concert.
Using the present conditional for conditions without an “if clause”
In Italian you can also use the present conditional in phrases that express something you “would” or “could” do under conditions that are introduced by certain conjunctions other than se meaning if. These conjunctions are called conditional conjunctions or adversative conjunctions. Here are some examples:
qualora meaning if, in case
Comprerei un’auto nuova, qualora fosse necessario.Translation: I would buy a new car if it was necessary.purché meaning as long as
I ragazzi potrebbero andare in campeggio, purché abbiano una tenda sicura.Translation: The kids could go camping, as long as they have a secure tent.ma, però meaning but
Andrei a Roma oggi, ma i treni sono in sciopero.Translation: I would go to Rome today, but the trains are on strike.
Using present conditional for requests, desires, advice, or doubts
In Italian, the present conditional is useful to make polite requests, express your desires, give advice, and express doubt. It’s much like you might use “would” or “could” to do something similar in English. Here’s how to use the present conditional for different purposes:
Polite requests and kinder questions
😐 Normal 😊 Polite/Kind → Present Conditional Mi fai un piacere?Translation: Can you do me a favor?Mi faresti un piacere?Translation: Would you do me a favor?When at a café or at a restaurant, you can use the present conditional to order something you would like to drink/eat.
😐 Normal 😊 Polite/Kind → Present Conditional Voglio un cappuccino, grazie.Translation: I want a cappuccino, thanks.Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore.Translation: I would like a cappuccino, please.Desires and wishes
Like in English, in Italian we resort to using the present conditional to express a desire or a wish.
Che bella giornata! Oggi andrei volentieri al mare.Translation: What a beautiful day! Today I would gladly go to the beach.Advice
You may know that in Italian, like in English, one of the moods we use to give advice is the imperative, but in addition to the imperative, we can also use the present conditional of the modal verbs dovere meaning must and potere meaning can along with the infinitive of the verb you’re advising someone to do. This sounds less strong than the imperative. Compare the two sentences below to see the difference:
Imperative 👇 Present Conditional (softer) 😄 Sei molto stanco… riposa un po’.Translation: You are very tired... rest a bit.Sei molto stanco… dovresti riposare un po’.Translation: You are very tired... you should rest a bit.Doubt or uncertainty
Finally, the present conditional appears in sentences in which we express doubt or uncertainty.
In una situazione simile, non saprei cosa fare.Translation: In a similar situation, I would not know what to do.
To sum up
Here’s what you should remember about the present conditional in Italian:
The conditional is a mood that expresses conditions and uncertainty and has both a present and a past tense.
The Italian present conditional usually translates into English as “would + verb”
To form the Italian present conditional of regular verbs, just drop the final e of the infinitive and add the appropriate ending.
Irregular verbs in the present conditional use the same stem as in the future! Remember that when learning those verbs by heart!
We use the present conditional:
in the main clause of type 2 and type 3 hypothetical sentences
to express desires, uncertainty and doubts
to make polite requests
to give advice.
Ready to practice the Italian present conditional? 💪 🧠 Click the link!
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