Language/Italian/Grammar/Condizionale-Presente

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Italian Grammar - Past and Future Tenses > Condizionale Presente

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

Table of Contents - Italian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

Introduction to Italian Language

• Italian Alphabet
• Nouns and Articles
• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

  ---

Daily Life Expressions

• Greetings and Introductions
• Foods and Drinks
• Transportation
• Numbers and Dates

  ---

Italian Culture and Tradition

• Italian Regions and Cities
• Italian Cuisine and Wine
• Italian Art and Music
• Italian Festivals and Celebrations

  ---

Past and Future Tenses

• Passato Prossimo
• Futuro Semplice
• Imperfect Tense
• Condizionale Presente

  ---

Social and Work Life

• Family and Relationships
• Work and Employment
• Shopping and Services
• Tourism and Hospitality

  ---

Italian Literature and Cinema

• Famous Italian Writers and Poets
• Italian Cinema Industry
• Italian Contemporary Art

  ---

Subjunctive and Imperative Moods

• Present Subjunctive
• Imperative Form
• Simple Past Subjunctive
• Conditional Subjunctive

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Science and Technology

• Computer and Technology
• Science and Research
• Environment and Ecology

  ---

Italian Politics and Society

• Contemporary Italian Politics
• Italian Society and Customs
• Religion and Believes

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Compound Tenses

• Trapassato Prossimo
• Trapassato Remoto
• Futuro Anteriore
• Congiuntivo Passato

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Arts and Design

• Fashion and Design
• Music and Performing Arts
• Visual Arts

  ---

Italian Language and Dialects

• Italian Language Variations
• Italian Language in the World
• Italian Language as a Second Language

Other Lessons

• Prepositions
• Nouns
• Plural
• Past Tense
• Adjectives
• Definite Articles in Italian
• Definite Articles
• Questions
• How to Use Have

Videos

Italian Grammar: Present Conditional With Modal Verbs - YouTube

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