Language/Italian/Grammar/Conditional-Subjunctive
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The Conditional Subjunctive mood is one of the most complex and least used tenses in Italian. It is used to indicate events that might have happened in the past, but did not happen because some condition was not fulfilled. In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use Conditional Subjunctive mood in Italian.
Formation
To form the Conditional Subjunctive, you need to use the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb "avere" or "essere" (depending on the main verb), followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here is the formula:
- avere or essere (depending on the main verb) + present subjunctive + past participle of the main verb
Here are the conjugations of "avere" and "essere" in the present subjunctive:
| Person | Avere | Essere | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | abbia | sia | tu | abbia | sia | lui/lei | abbia | sia | noi | abbiamo | siamo | voi | abbiate | siate | loro | abbiano | siano |
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the Conditional Subjunctive:
| Italian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Se avessi tempo, partirei. | seh ah-VEHS-see TEHM-poh pahr-TEE-reh-ee | If I had time, I would leave. |
| Se avessi soldi, comprerei una macchina. | seh ah-VEHS-see SOHL-dee, kohm-PREH-reh-ee OO-nah mahk-KEE-nah | If I had money, I would buy a car. |
Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the Conditional Subjunctive:
| Italian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Se potessi, andrei al mare. | seh poh-TEHS-see, ahn-DREH-ee ahl MAH-reh | If I could, I would go to the sea. |
| Se sapessi dov'è, andrei a trovarlo. | seh sah-PEHS-see doh-VEH, ahn-DREH-ee ah traw-VAHR-loh | If I knew where he is, I would go find him. |
Usage
As mentioned above, the Conditional Subjunctive is used to indicate events that might have happened in the past, but did not happen because some condition was not fulfilled. It is often used in hypothetical or imagined scenarios, or to express regret over past events. Here are some examples:
- Se avessi saputo prima, sarei venuto alla festa. (If I had known earlier, I would have come to the party.)
- Se avessi fatto il compito, non mi avrebbe punito. (If I had done the homework, he wouldn't have punished me.)
- Se fossi in te, non farei una cosa del genere. (If I were you, I wouldn't do such a thing.)
Exercises
1. Conjugate the verb "essere" in the Conditional Subjunctive for each pronoun. 2. Conjugate the verb "avere" in the Conditional Subjunctive for each pronoun. 3. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
- Se (avere) il tempo, vado al cinema.
- Se (andare) a Roma, farei una passeggiata al Colosseo.
- Se (essere) in tempo, partiamo subito.
Sources