Language/Catalan/Grammar/Conditional-and-future-tenses

Catalan → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Conditional and future tenses

Welcome, dear students, to another exciting lesson in our "Complete 0 to A1 Catalan Course"! Today, we're diving into the intriguing world of conditional and future tenses in Catalan. Understanding these tenses is crucial as they allow you to express wishes, possibilities, and plans. Imagine being able to say what you would do in a certain situation or what you plan to do in the future! This is what makes language so vibrant and expressive.

In this lesson, we will:

• Explore the conditional tense: when and how to use it, along with regular and irregular verb forms.

• Delve into the future tense: its formation, usage, and differences between regular and irregular verbs.

• Provide numerous examples to illustrate these concepts clearly.

• Engage in exercises that will help reinforce your understanding.

So, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get started!

Understanding the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used in Catalan to express actions that would occur given certain conditions. For instance, you might say, "I would go to the party if I were invited." This is a hypothetical situation and the conditional tense allows you to articulate such thoughts.

Formation of the Conditional Tense

Regular Verbs:

To form the conditional tense for regular verbs, you generally take the infinitive form of the verb and add specific endings. The endings are the same for all three conjugations (-ar, -er, -ir):

• -ia

• -ies

• -ia

• -íem

• -íeu

• -ien

Irregular Verbs:

Some verbs have irregular stems in the conditional tense. However, the endings remain the same as those for regular verbs.

Here’s a table to illustrate the formation of the conditional tense for regular and a few irregular verbs:

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
parlaria	pər.lə.'ɾi.ə	I would speak
parlaries	pər.lə.'ɾi.əs	you would speak
parlaria	pər.lə.'ɾi.ə	he/she/it would speak
parlaríem	pər.lə.'ɾi.əm	we would speak
parlaríeu	pər.lə.'ɾi.əu	you (plural) would speak
parlarien	pər.lə.'ɾi.ən	they would speak
tindria	tin.'dɾi.ə	I would have
tindries	tin.'dɾi.əs	you would have
tindria	tin.'dɾi.ə	he/she/it would have
tindríem	tin.'dɾi.əm	we would have
tindríeu	tin.'dɾi.əu	you (plural) would have
tindrien	tin.'dɾi.ən	they would have

Usage of the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is often used:

• To express polite requests: "M'agradaria un cafè, si us plau." (I would like a coffee, please.)

• To indicate hypothetical situations: "Si tingués temps, llegiria més." (If I had time, I would read more.)

• To express wishes: "M’agradaria viatjar a París." (I would like to travel to Paris.)

Understanding the Future Tense

The future tense in Catalan is used to talk about actions that will happen. It's similar to expressing future plans or predictions in English.

Formation of the Future Tense

Regular Verbs:

For regular verbs, the future tense is formed by adding endings to the infinitive form of the verb. The endings are as follows:

• -é

• -às

• -à

• -em

• -eu

• -an

Irregular Verbs:

Just like in the conditional tense, some verbs have irregular stems in the future tense, but the endings remain consistent.

Here’s a table to illustrate the future tense formation:

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
parlaré	pər.lə.'ɾe	I will speak
parlaràs	pər.lə.'ɾas	you will speak
parlarà	pər.lə.'ɾa	he/she/it will speak
parlarem	pər.lə.ˈɾem	we will speak
parlareu	pər.lə.'ɾeu	you (plural) will speak
parlaran	pər.lə.'ɾan	they will speak
tindré	tin.'dɾe	I will have
tindràs	tin.'dɾas	you will have
tindrà	tin.'dɾa	he/she/it will have
tindrem	tin.'dɾem	we will have
tindreu	tin.'dɾeu	you (plural) will have
tindran	tin.'dɾan	they will have

Usage of the Future Tense

The future tense is typically used:

• To express intentions or plans: "Demà aniré al mercat." (Tomorrow I will go to the market.)

• To make predictions: "Crec que plourà demà." (I think it will rain tomorrow.)

• To express scheduled events: "La reunió serà a les tres." (The meeting will be at three.)

Examples Summary

To summarize everything we've learned, here’s a detailed comparison of the conditional and future tenses including examples:

Catalan (Conditional)	Pronunciation	English (Conditional)	Catalan (Future)	Pronunciation	English (Future)
M'agradaria viatjar.	mə.ɡɾə.'ðɾi.ə	I would like to travel.	Viatjaré demà.	vi.ə.tʒa.'ɾe	I will travel tomorrow.
Si tingués temps, llegiria.	si tin.'ɡɛs tɛmps le.ʒi.'ɾi.ə	If I had time, I would read.	Tindré temps demà.	tin.'dɾe tɛmps	I will have time tomorrow.
M'agradaria un llibre nou.	mə.ɡɾə.'ðɾi.ə un 'ʒi.βɾə nɔu	I would like a new book.	Comprarè un llibre.	kəm.pɾa.'ɾe un 'ʒi.βɾə	I will buy a book.
Si pogués, aniria.	si pu.'ɡɛs ə.ni.'ɾi.ə	If I could, I would go.	Aniré si puc.	ə.ni.'ɾe si pʊk	I will go if I can.
M'agradaria un cafè.	mə.ɡɾə.'ðɾi.ə un kə.'fɛ	I would like a coffee.	Beuré un cafè.	bə.'ʊ.ɾe un kə.'fɛ	I will drink a coffee.

Exercises

Now that we have covered the basics of the conditional and future tenses, let's practice! Below are ten exercises designed to help you apply what you have learned.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Conditional Tense

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the conditional tense.

1. Si jo ________ (tenir) un cotxe, ________ (viatjar) més.

2. M'agradaria ________ (aprendre) a tocar la guitarra.

3. Si tu ________ (poder), ________ (venir) a la festa.

4. Ell ________ (comprar) un nou ordinador si tingués diners.

5. Nosaltres ________ (muntar) a cavall més sovint.

Solutions:

1. Si jo tingués un cotxe, viatjaria més.

2. M'agradaria aprendre a tocar la guitarra.

3. Si tu poguessis, vindries a la festa.

4. Ell compraria un nou ordinador si tingués diners.

5. Nosaltres muntaríem a cavall més sovint.

Exercise 2: Fill in the Future Tense

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the future tense.

1. Demà ________ (anar) al cinema.

2. Ells ________ (visitar) Barcelona aquest estiu.

3. Nosaltres ________ (tenir) una reunió demà.

4. Tu ________ (comprar) un regal per a la teva amiga.

5. Jo ________ (estudiar) per l’examen.

Solutions:

1. Demà anaré al cinema.

2. Ells visitaran Barcelona aquest estiu.

3. Nosaltres tindrem una reunió demà.

4. Tu compraràs un regal per a la teva amiga.

5. Jo estudiaré per l’examen.

Exercise 3: Translate to Catalan

Translate the following sentences from English to Catalan using the appropriate tense.

1. I would like to learn Spanish.

2. If I had time, I would call you.

3. They will go shopping tomorrow.

4. We would travel if we had money.

5. She will study for the exam next week.

Solutions:

1. M'agradaria aprendre espanyol.

2. Si tingués temps, t'hi trucaria.

3. Ells aniran de compres demà.

4. Viatjaríem si tinguéssim diners.

5. Ella estudiarà per l'examen la setmana que ve.

Exercise 4: Match the Tenses

Match the sentences in the left column with the appropriate tense in the right column.

1. M'agradaria ballar. A. Future

2. Aniré a la platja. B. Conditional

3. Si pogués, vindria. C. Conditional

4. Estudiaré demà. D. Future

Solutions:

1 - B

2 - A

3 - C

4 - D

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Examples

Write your own sentences in both the conditional and future tenses based on the prompts below.

1. If I had a pet.

2. I will visit my grandparents.

3. I would like to go to the beach.

4. If I could travel, I would go to Italy.

5. Tomorrow, I will start a new book.

Solutions:

(Students should create their own sentences. The focus is on using correct forms of the verbs.)

Exercise 6: Identify the Tense

Read the following sentences and identify whether they are in the conditional or future tense.

1. M'agradaria viatjar a Roma.

2. Demà aniré a la feina.

3. Si pogués, llegiria més llibres.

4. Ells visitaran la ciutat demà.

5. Si tingués una màquina del temps, viatjaria al passat.

Solutions:

1. Conditional

2. Future

3. Conditional

4. Future

5. Conditional

Exercise 7: Verb Conjugation

Conjugate the following verbs in both the conditional and future tenses.

1. Estudiar

2. Tenir

3. Fer

4. Viure

5. Anar

Solutions:

1. Estudiar:

• Conditional: estudiaria, estudiaries, estudiaria, estudiaríem, estudiaríeu, estudiarien

• Future: estudiaré, estudiaràs, estudiarà, estudiarem, estudiareu, estudiaran

2. Tenir:

• Conditional: tindria, tindries, tindria, tindríem, tindríeu, tindrien

• Future: tindré, tindràs, tindrà, tindrem, tindreu, tindran

3. Fer:

• Conditional: faria, furies, faria, faríem, faríeu, farien

• Future: faré, faràs, farà, farem, fareu, faran

4. Viure:

• Conditional: viuria, viuries, viuria, viuríem, viuríeu, viurien

• Future: viuré, viuràs, viurà, viurem, viureu, viuran

5. Anar:

• Conditional: aniria, aniries, aniria, aniríem, aniríeu, anirien

• Future: aniré, aniràs, anirà, anirem, anireu, aniran

Exercise 8: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the dialogues with the correct form of the verb in either the conditional or future tense.

A: Si ________ (tenir) temps, ________ (ajudar-te).

B: No et preocupis, ________ (fer) el que puguis.

A: El proper mes ________ (viatjar) a Barcelona.

Solutions:

A: Si tingués temps, t'ajudaria.

B: No et preocupis, faré el que puguis.

A: El proper mes viatjaré a Barcelona.

Exercise 9: Sentence Transformation

Transform the following sentences from the conditional to the future tense or vice versa.

1. Si tingués temps, viatjaria.

2. Demà estudiaré per l'examen.

3. M'agradaria un pastís.

4. Ells visitaran el museu.

Solutions:

1. Si tingués temps, viatjaré.

2. Si pogués, estudiaria per l'examen.

3. M'agradaria un pastís → Demà compraré un pastís.

4. Ells visitaran el museu → Si tinguessin temps, visitarien el museu.

Exercise 10: Create a Short Dialogue

Using both the conditional and future tenses, create a short dialogue between two friends discussing their plans.

Solutions:

(Students should create their own dialogues. They should incorporate both conditional and future tenses in their responses.)

Congratulations! You've reached the end of this lesson on conditional and future tenses in Catalan. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep using these tenses in your conversations. The more you use them, the more natural they will feel!

Table of Contents - Catalan Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Catalan

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Articles and Nouns

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Noun Gender and Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Adjectives and Pronouns

• Adjective Agreement
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• At the Restaurant

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Coordinating Conjunctions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Catalan Culture

• History and Geography
• Traditions and Celebrations

Sources

• Catalan: Tenses
• Catalan verbs - Wikipedia
• Catalan: Verb

Other Lessons

• Passive voice
• Negation
• Genitive Case in Catalan
• How to use the Modal Verb Must in Catalan
• Introduction to adjectives and adverbs
• Cardinal Numbers in Catalan
• Pronouns
• Ablative Case in Catalan
• Introduction to pronouns
• Plurals