The condizionale presente is Italian's conditional mood, and it's the tense you reach for whenever you want to soften a request, express a wish, give polite advice, or talk about what would happen under certain conditions. Vorrei un caffè (I would like a coffee) is infinitely more polite than Voglio un caffè, and it's the kind of small tweak that makes your Italian sound educated and respectful rather than blunt. The conditional also lets you say Dovresti riposarti (You should rest), Potremmo andare al mare (We could go to the beach), Sarebbe bello (It would be nice), and countless other useful phrases.
The conjugation uses the same stems as the futuro semplice — which is great news, because you only have to learn one set of irregular stems for both tenses. The endings are: -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. So parlare gives parlerei, parleresti, parlerebbe, parleremmo, parlereste, parlerebbero. Prendere gives prenderei, prenderesti, prenderebbe... Finire gives finirei, finiresti, finirebbe... Key irregulars share stems with the future: essere → sarei, avere → avrei, andare → andrei, venire → verrei, fare → farei, potere → potrei, dovere → dovrei, volere → vorrei, sapere → saprei, vedere → vedrei. Notice the double consonants in verrei, vorrei, berrei — they're phonetically important.
Italians use the conditional constantly in daily life. For polite requests: Vorrei una pizza, Potrei avere un bicchiere d'acqua? (Could I have a glass of water?), Mi aiuteresti? (Would you help me?). For advice and suggestions: Dovresti studiare di più (You should study more), Al tuo posto farei così (In your place I'd do it this way). For wishes and hypotheticals: Mi piacerebbe vivere in Italia (I'd like to live in Italy), Sarebbe bello... (It would be nice...). For reporting unverified information in journalism: Il presidente sarebbe malato (The president is said to be ill). The conditional also pairs with the imperfetto del congiuntivo in hypothetical sentences (Se avessi tempo, verrei — If I had time, I would come), which you'll meet at B1. The exercises below focus on forming the conditional regularly and irregularly, recognizing its polite and hypothetical uses, and contrasting it with the present tense in requests and advice.
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.
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).
| Person | -ARE (parlare) | -ERE (leggere) | -IRE (dormire) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerei | leggerei | dormirei |
| tu | parleresti | leggeresti | dormiresti |
| lui/lei | parlerebbe | leggerebbe | dormirebbe |
| noi | parleremmo | leggeremmo | dormiremmo |
| voi | parlereste | leggereste | dormireste |
| loro | parlerebbero | leggerebbero | dormirebbero |
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.
| Infinitive | Stem | io form | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere | sar- | sarei | I would be |
| avere | avr- | avrei | I would have |
| andare | andr- | andrei | I would go |
| fare | far- | farei | I would do/make |
| venire | verr- | verrei | I would come |
| volere | vorr- | vorrei | I would want |
| potere | potr- | potrei | I could / I would be able to |
| dovere | dovr- | dovrei | I should / I would have to |
| sapere | sapr- | saprei | I would know |
| bere | berr- | berrei | I would drink |
| rimanere | rimarr- | rimarrei | I would stay/remain |
| tenere | terr- | terrei | I would keep/hold |
A great shortcut: if you already know the futuro semplice stem of a verb, the condizionale uses the exact same stem. Just swap the future endings (-ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno) for the conditional endings (-ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero). For example: parlerò (future) → parlerei (conditional). This applies to both regular and irregular verbs.
10 exercises · 0 completed
Regular -ARE Verbs: io and tu
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: lui/lei
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: noi and voi
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: loro
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: Fill in the Blank
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: Mixed Persons
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs in Context
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: Spot the Correct Form
10 questions
Expressing Wishes with -ARE Verbs
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs: Group 1 Review
10 questions
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Regular -ERE Verbs: io and tu
10 questions
Regular -ERE Verbs: lui/lei, noi, voi
10 questions
Regular -ERE Verbs: loro and Fill in the Blank
10 questions
Regular -IRE Verbs: io and tu
10 questions
Regular -IRE Verbs: All Persons
10 questions
-ERE and -IRE Verbs: Fill in the Blank
10 questions
-ERE and -IRE Verbs in Context
10 questions
-ERE and -IRE Verbs: Spot the Correct Form
10 questions
Wishes and Desires with -ERE/-IRE Verbs
10 questions
Regular -ERE and -IRE Verbs: Group 2 Review
10 questions
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Irregular: vorrei and potrei
10 questions
Irregular: dovrei and sarei
10 questions
Irregular: avrei and andrei
10 questions
Irregular: farei and verrei
10 questions
Irregular: saprei, berrei, rimarrei
10 questions
Polite Requests at the Restaurant
10 questions
Polite Requests at the Hotel and Shop
10 questions
All Irregular Stems: Identification
10 questions
Polite Language on the Phone and in Formal Contexts
10 questions
Irregular Condizionale: Group 3 Review
10 questions
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Polite Requests: vorrei + noun/infinitive
10 questions
Polite Requests: potrei, potresti, potrebbe
10 questions
Expressing Wishes: mi piacerebbe / sarebbe bello
10 questions
Giving Advice: dovresti, non dovresti
10 questions
Making Suggestions: potremmo, potreste, andrebbero
10 questions
Hypothetical Sentences: se + imperfetto → condizionale
10 questions
Hypothetical Sentences: Fill in the Blank
10 questions
All Uses of the Condizionale: Mixed Practice
10 questions
Uses of Condizionale: Translation Practice
10 questions
Uses of Condizionale: Group 4 Review
10 questions
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Dialogue at a Restaurant
10 questions
Dialogue at a Hotel
10 questions
Dialogue at a Shop
10 questions
Phone Conversation
10 questions
Giving Advice with Dovresti
10 questions
Expressing Wishes: Mi Piacerebbe
10 questions
Hypotheticals: Se + Imperfetto → Condizionale
10 questions
Error Spotting: Condizionale
10 questions
Comprehensive Review 1: Condizionale Presente
10 questions
Comprehensive Review 2: Condizionale Presente
10 questions
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Take the same stem as the future tense and add the conditional endings: -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. Example: parlare → parlerei, parleresti, parlerebbe, parleremmo, parlereste, parlerebbero.
Use it for polite requests (vorrei un caffè), advice (dovresti studiare di più), hypothetical wishes (andrei al mare), and unconfirmed news in journalism (il presidente sarebbe malato — "the president is reportedly ill").
A2 Topics