Language/Italian/Grammar/Condizionale-Presente
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◀️ Imperfect Tense — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Family and Relationships ▶️ |
The Condizionale Presente is a verb tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the present or future. It is often translated to English as the conditional tense, would + verb. In this lesson, you will learn how to form and use the Condizionale Presente tense in Italian.
Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Conditional Tense & Plural.
Formation
To form the Condizionale Presente of regular verbs, you simply take the infinitive form of the verb and add the conditional tense endings. The endings for -are, -ere, and -ire verbs are the same. Here are the conditional endings for regular verbs:
Person | Ending |
---|---|
io | -ei |
tu | -esti |
egli/ella | -ebbe |
noi | -emmo |
voi | -este |
essi/esse | -ebbero |
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the Condizionale Presente:
- Parlare (to speak)
Italian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
io parler-ei | /parˈle.rei/ | I would speak |
tu parler-esti | /parˈle.resti/ | You would speak |
egli/ella parler-ebbe | /par.leˈrɛb.be/ | He/she would speak |
noi parler-emmo | /par.leˈrem.mo/ | We would speak |
voi parler-este | /par.leˈreste/ | You (plural) would speak |
essi/esse parler-ebbero | /par.leˈrɛrebbe.ro/ | They would speak |
- Scrivere (to write)
Italian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
io scriv-erei | /skriˈve.rei/ | I would write |
tu scriv-eresti | /skriˈve.resti/ | You would write |
egli/ella scriv-erebbe | /skriˈvɛreb.be/ | He/she would write |
noi scriv-eremmo | /skriˈve.rem.mo/ | We would write |
voi scriv-ereste | /skriˈve.reste/ | You (plural) would write |
essi/esse scriv-erebbero | /skriˈve.reb.be.ro/ | They would write |
To form the Condizionale Presente of irregular verbs, you must know the conditional stem. The conditional stem is the same as the future stem, which is the infinitive without the -e, -re, or -ire ending. Then, you add the same conditional tense endings as for regular verbs. Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the Condizionale Presente:
- Avere (to have)
Italian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
io avrei | /aˈvrei/ | I would have |
tu avresti | /aˈvresti/ | You would have |
egli/ella avrebbe | /aˈvrebbe/ | He/she would have |
noi avremmo | /aˈvremmo/ | We would have |
voi avreste | /aˈvreste/ | You (plural) would have |
essi/esse avrebbero | /aˈvrebbero/ | They would have |
- Essere (to be)
Italian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
io sarei | /saˈrei/ | I would be |
tu saresti | /saˈresti/ | You would be |
egli/ella sarebbe | /saˈrebbe/ | He/she would be |
noi saremmo | /saˈremmo/ | We would be |
voi sareste | /saˈreste/ | You (plural) would be |
essi/esse sarebbero | /saˈrebbero/ | They would be |
Usage
The Condizionale Presente is mainly used to express:
- A hypothetical action in the present or future, when the result depends on some condition:
* Se fosse ricco, comprerei una casa in Italia. (If I were rich, I would buy a house in Italy.) * Se avessi tempo, andrei al mare. (If I had time, I would go to the sea.)
- A polite request, invitation or suggestion:
* Potresti passarmi il sale, per favore? (Could you pass me the salt, please?) * Ti piacerebbe venire al cinema con me stasera? (Would you like to come to cinema with me tonight?) * Vorrei un caffè, per favore. (I would like a coffee, please.)
- A hypothetical action in the past, usually preceded by "avrei" (I would have):
* Se avessi saputo che era così difficile, non avrei accettato il lavoro. (If I had known it was so difficult, I would not have taken the job.)
Exercises
- Conjugate the following verbs in the Condizionale Presente:
* Suonare (to play) * Ballare (to dance) * Vedere (to see) * Fare (to do) * Dire (to say)
- Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in Condizionale Presente:
* Se (avere) più soldi, (comprare) una macchina nuova. * (Essere) così gentile da dirmi l'ora? * (Scrivere) una lettera formale, se possibile. * Se (vedere) mio fratello, (salutare) anche lui. * Vorrei (andare) in vacanza in Sardegna quest'anno.
Sources
- Italian Conditional (Condizionale) > Present & Past
- Italian Condizionale - Present And Past Conditional in Italian
- Condizionale presente • Italian Grammar | Italiano Bello
Other Lessons
- Prepositions
- Nouns
- Plural
- Past Tense
- Adjectives
- Definite Articles in Italian
- Definite Articles
- Questions
- How to Use Have
Videos
Past Conditional Tense in Italian: Condizionale Passato - YouTube
Futuro semplice o condizionale presente? (Italian grammar exercise ...
Present Conditional Tense in Italian: Condizionale Presente ...
Italian Grammar: Present Conditional With Modal Verbs - YouTube
◀️ Imperfect Tense — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Family and Relationships ▶️ |