Condizionale Presente

What Is the Condizionale Presente?

The condizionale presente (present conditional) is the Italian equivalent of 'would + verb' in English. It expresses what would happen under certain conditions, and it is widely used to make polite requests, express wishes, give advice, and talk about hypothetical situations. You will hear it constantly in restaurants, hotels, shops, and everyday conversations.

Uses of the Condizionale

The condizionale has four main uses: (1) Polite requests — instead of a direct command, you soften a request: 'Vorrei un caffè' (I would like a coffee) is much more polite than 'Voglio un caffè'. (2) Wishes and desires — 'Mi piacerebbe visitare Roma' (I would like to visit Rome), 'Sarebbe bello avere più tempo' (It would be nice to have more time). (3) Advice and suggestions — 'Dovresti studiare di più' (You should study more), 'Potremmo andare al cinema' (We could go to the cinema). (4) Hypothetical situations with 'se' — 'Se avessi più soldi, comprerei una casa grande' (If I had more money, I would buy a big house).

How to Form the Stem

The condizionale uses exactly the same stem as the futuro semplice. For -ERE and -IRE verbs, drop the final -e of the infinitive: leggere → legger-, dormire → dormir-. For -ARE verbs, the -a- changes to -e-: parlare → parler-, lavorare → lavorer-. Verbs ending in -care/-gare add 'h': pagare → pagher-. Verbs ending in -ciare/-giare drop the 'i': mangiare → manger-. Then add the conditional endings: -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero.

• Vorrei un caffè, per favore. — I would like a coffee, please.
• Potrei avere il menu? — Could I have the menu?
• Mi daresti un consiglio? — Would you give me some advice?
• Le dispiacerebbe aprire la finestra? — Would you mind opening the window?
• Vorrei prenotare una camera. — I would like to book a room.
• Potremmo avere il conto? — Could we have the bill?
• Dovresti riposare di più. — You should rest more.
• Sarebbe possibile cambiare il tavolo? — Would it be possible to change the table?

• Se avessi tempo, studierei l'italiano ogni giorno. — If I had time, I would study Italian every day.
• Se potessi, viaggerei in tutto il mondo. — If I could, I would travel the whole world.
• Se fossi ricco, comprerei una casa grande. — If I were rich, I would buy a big house.
• Se sapessi cucinare, farei la pasta ogni sera. — If I knew how to cook, I would make pasta every evening.
• Se venisse anche Marco, sarebbe più divertente. — If Marco came too, it would be more fun.