Italian grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The conditional: would and would have
How to form the condizionale presente and passato, their irregular stems, and when to use them: wishes, advice, polite requests and the future in the past.
The condizionale presente
The means “would”: (I'd go to Argentina). Take the stem of the future and add -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. As in the future, -are verbs change a to e: → .
The form has a double m: (we would speak). The future has only one: (we will speak).
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / | |||
Irregular stems
Verbs with an irregular future stem use the same stem in the conditional. The spelling changes of the future stay too: → , → .
| Infinitive | Conditional | Infinitive | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|
When to use it
The conditional expresses wishes, gives advice and makes requests softer and more polite. With + congiuntivo imperfetto, it imagines situations: (If I had time, I'd come).
In the news, it also reports information that isn't confirmed: (According to the paper, the mayor is said to be ill).
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| wishes | I'd like to travel. | |
| advice | You should sleep more. | |
| polite requests | Could you say that again, please? | |
| imagining | With more money, I'd buy a house. |
The condizionale passato
The means “would have”: the conditional of or + the past participle. It talks about things that could have happened but didn't: (I would have liked to sleep).
With , and , it means “should have”, “could have” and “would have liked to”: (You should have called me). They take if the next verb does: .
| Person | ||
|---|---|---|
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / | / | |
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / |
The future in the past
When you report words about the future after a past verb, Italian uses the condizionale passato, where English says “would” + verb: “” → (He said he would call me). This is true even if the event is still in the future.
- Pensavo che sarebbe stato più facile.I thought it would be easier.
- Ci hanno detto che il traghetto non sarebbe partito.They told us the ferry wouldn't leave.