The Italian conditional tense refers to things that may happen in reality or may be real under specific conditions. The easiest way to understand conditional in Italian is to consider a polite request or a situation related to doubt, wishes or hypotheses. An example in English: Could you lend me some money? (Mi potresti prestare dei soldi?)
To better understand this grammar requirement in Italian, we explore the use of the conditional and provide simple examples so you can easily improve your skills when you learn Italian.
HOW IS IT FORMED THE ITALIAN CONDITIONAL TENSE?
- -are and -ere verbs
To form the present conditional Italian, you will add the following endings to the verb that include -are and -ere verbs. These include:
-erei
-eresti
-erebbe
-eremmo
-ereste
-erebbero.
- -ire verbs
To make a conditional in Italian using -ire verbs, you will incorporate the following endings:
-irei
-iresti
-irebbe
-iremmo
-ireste
-irebbero
- Volere, Dovere, and Potere
Vorrei, dovrei, and potrei will be translated using conditionals: would like, should, and could.
ITALIAN CONDITIONAL TENSE
To understand Italian grammar, we must take a closer look at the past conditional and the present conditional.
The Italian conditional has only two tenses: past tense and present tense.
You would form the past conditional Italian in this way:
Present Conditional of “to be” or “to have” + the past participle of a verb.
WHEN IS IT USED?
- You would use the conditional when you are speaking about things that could happen under a particular circumstance.
- It would also be used when you are talking to someone about what you could do or would like to do.
- When discussing a hypothetical situation.
We will use the conditional in the following expressions:
- Offering advice or guidance
- A considerate request
- Desire
- In uncertain situations
To better understand the use of the Italian conditional tense, it is a good idea to learn through examples. You can consider the conditional as the same as using a verb with the word: “would” in English.
We will use the conditional in the following sentences:
- To give advice:
Dovresti andare dal dottore (You should go to the doctor)
- To express a polite request:
Mi porteresti una tazza di tè? (Could you bring me a cup of tea?)
To express a wish:
Vorrei passare l’estate in Spagna (I would love to spend the summer in Spain)
- Uncertain situation:
Domani potremmo andare al mare (Tomorrow we could go to the beach)
HOW TO LEARN ITALIAN CONDITIONALS
The best way to learn Italian conditionals is with practice. While it can be a confusing part of Italian grammar you can quickly learn and apply the Italian conditional tense with examples and by speaking in context.
Practice certainly makes perfect and rings true when learning Italian conditionals.
Now that you know how to use and conjugate the Italian conditional tense, visit our blog to learn more about the Italian language and culture.