French future vs conditional: -rai or -rais?
In the first person singular, the future ends in -rai (certainty, a future fact) and the conditional ends in -rais (hypothesis, wish, politeness). The mistake is common because the two sound almost the same.
Future or conditional at a glance
| Future | Conditional | |
|---|---|---|
| Ending with je | -rai: je parlerai | -rais: je parlerais |
| Meaning | will | would |
| Use | plans, predictions | wishes, politeness, hypotheses after si + imparfait |
| The test with nous | nous parlerons | nous parlerions |
Je parlerai and je parlerais sound almost the same. Say the sentence with nous: if you hear parlerons, write -rai; if you hear parlerions, write -rais.
Examples
Demain, je partirai tôt.
Key word(s): partirai
A certain future fact, so the simple future in -rai is used.
Si je pouvais, je partirais.
Key word(s): partirais
A hypothesis (si + imparfait), so the conditional in -rais is used.
Je viendrai te voir dimanche.
Key word(s): viendrai
A future commitment, so the simple future is used.
J'aimerais un café, s'il vous plaît.
Key word(s): aimerais
Politeness, so the conditional is used.
Tu réussiras si tu travailles.
Key word(s): réussiras
Future in a conditional clause (si + present leads to the future).
Common mistakes
- Confusing -rai (future) and -rais (conditional) in the first person
- Using the conditional after "si" ("si j'aurais" instead of "si j'avais")
- Forgetting that the conditional is also used for politeness
Test yourself
Demain, je ___ au marché.
Si j'avais le temps, je ___ du piano.
Au cas où j'___ du retard, commence sans moi.
Tips to remember
- Foolproof tip: switch to "nous". "Nous irons" (future) vs "nous irions" (conditional).
- After conditional "si", never use the future or the conditional: "si j'avais" (imparfait).
- The conditional expresses: hypothesis, wish, politeness, unconfirmed information.
Practice this rule with audio dictation
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