The conditional

Usage

The conditional tense has two uses

(i) The future seen from the past

J'ai dit que j'achèterais un cadeau pour mon fils
I said I would buy a present for my son.

J'espérais que mon mari reviendrait bientôt
I hoped my husband would come home soon

(ii) Hypothetical situations

Si j'étais à votre place, je resterais à la maison
If I were you I would stay at home

S'il faisait beau, je ferais une randonnée à la campagne
If it were fine, I would go for a walk in the country

Si tu entendais cette jeune pianiste, tu serais émerveillé
If  you were to hear this young pianist, you would be amazed

In the type of sentence shown in section (ii), you always use the imperfect in the "if" clause, and the conditional in the main clause

Formation

The conditional is formed by adding the imperfect endings to the infinive, so the stem is the same as the future

Compare the conditional and future endings

Here is the conditional of the verb  Travailler