Italian Conditional Mode
Modo Condizionale | (Conditional Mode)
The conditional mode has both a present form (condizionale presente) and a past form (condizionale passato).- Ti aiuterei, ma non posso – (I would help you, but I can’t)
- Non avresti potuto fare diversamente – (You could not have done any different)
Condizionale Presente | (Present Conditional Tense)
The conditional present can be used to express potential or possible actions, as well as desires, doubts, suggestions and gentle requests.
- Present desires: Vorrei una bella pizza – (I would like a nice pizza)
- Recommend or give advice: Al tuo posto, andrei a dormire – (If I were you, I would go to sleep)
- Request politely: Mi passeresti il pane? – (Could you pass me the bread?)
- Discuss probability: Dovrei avere finito tra 10 minuti – (I should be done in 10 minutes)
- Uncertainty or doubt: Non so se la mangeresti – (I don’t know if you would eat it)
- Disapprove or criticize: Dovrebbero fare più attenzione! – (They should pay more attention!)
- Second level hypothetical phrases: Se potessi andrei a vivere in campagna – (If I could, I would go live in the country side)
Condizionale Presente – Ascoltare, Leggere, Sentire
| -are | -ere | -ire | |
| Pronoun | Ascolt-are (to listen) | Legg-ere (to read) | Sent-ire (to hear) |
| io (I) | ascolt-erei (I would listen) | legg-erei (I would read) | sent-irei (I would hear) |
| tu (you – singular) | ascolt-eresti | legg-eresti | sent-iresti |
| lui (he) | ascolt-erebbe | legg-erebbe | sent-irebbe |
| lei (she) | ascolt-erebbe | legg-erebbe | sent-irebbe |
| Lei (You – formal) | ascolt-erebbe | legg-erebbe | sent-irebbe |
| noi (we) | ascolt-eremmo | legg-eremmo | sent-iremmo |
| voi (you – plural) | ascolt-ereste | legg-ereste | sent-ireste |
| loro (they) | ascolt-erebbero | legg-erebbero | sent-irebbero |
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs in Italian are not irregular for all modes or tenses, in fact some verbs can be irregular in the conditional present tense but not in the indicative present tense or viceversa. It would be impossible and impractical for us to list all of them, instead we are going to provide a list of the most common ones.
| -are | -ere | -ire |
| Andare (to go) | Avere (to have) | Dire (to say) |
| Cominciare (to start) | Bere (to drink) | Venire (to come) |
| Dare (to give) | Dovere (to have to) | |
| Dimenticare (to forget) | Essere (to be) | |
| Fare (to do) | Potere (to can) | |
| Mangiare (to eat) | Rimanere (to remain) | |
| Pagare (to pay) | Sapere (to know) | |
| Stare (to stay) | Tenere (to keep) | |
| Viaggiare (to travel) | Volere (to want) |
Luckily, online there are many websites that automatically conjugate verbs for you, so you can look up how irregular verbs conjugate. A website we highly recommend is Sapere:Virgilio.
Condizionale Passato | (Past Conditional Tense)
The past conditional is used to express similar situations as the present conditional above that have happened in the past. On top of those, it is also used in the following contexts:
- Impossible or unattainable actions: Sarei arrivato in orario, ma ho perso l’autobus – (I would have arrived on time, but I missed the bus)
- Unofficial news: Luca dice Marco avrebbe parlato male di te – (Luca said that Marco might have talked badly about you)
- Talking about the future in the past: Pensavo sarebbe stato più interessante il museo – (I thought the museum would have been more interesting)
- Third hypothetical phrases: Avrei vinto la gara se non fosse stato per quell’errore – (I would have won the race, if it weren’t for that mistake)
The past conditional is a compound tense as it is formed by an auxiliary verb + past participle of a verb. If a verb is transitive, then it will require the auxiliary avere, while if the verb is intransitive or if the verb is reflexive, then it will require the auxiliary essere.
Condizionale Passato con Verbi Transitivi | (Past Conditional with Transitive Verbs)
Verbs are usually considered transitive when they are followed by an object that completes their meaning.
- Ascolto la musica -> (I listen to music)
- I listen to what? -> to music
Transitive verbs use the present conditional avere (auxiliary) + past participle to form the condizionale passato.
Ascoltare, Leggere, Sentire
| -are | -ere | -ire | |
| Pronoun | Ascolt-are (to listen) | Legg-ere (to read) | Sent-ire (to hear) |
| io (I) | avrei ascoltato (I would have listened) | avrei letto (I would have read) | avrei sentito (I would have heard) |
| tu (you – singular) | avresti ascoltato | avresti letto | avresti sentito |
| lui (he) | avrebbe ascoltato | avrebbe letto | avrebbe sentito |
| lei (she) | avrebbe ascoltato | avrebbe letto | avrebbe sentito |
| Lei (You – formal) | avrebbe ascoltato | avrebbe letto | avrebbe sentito |
| noi (we) | avremmo ascoltato | avremmo letto | avremmo sentito |
| voi (you – plural) | avreste ascoltato | avreste letto | avreste sentito |
| loro (they) | avrebbero ascoltato | avrebbero letto | avrebbero sentito |
Condizionale Passato con Verbi Intransitivi | (Past Conditional with Intransitive Verbs)
Verbs that do not need an object to complete their meaning are called intransitive.
- Io arrivo – (I arrive)
To form the condizionale passato with intransitive verbs we use the conditional present essere (auxiliary) + past participle. Note that with essere the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the verb. As always, you should always check the dictionary if you are not sure whether a verb requires essere or avere.
Arrivare, Crescere, Uscire
| -are | -ere | -ire | |
| Pronoun | Arriv-are (to arrive) | Cresc-ere (to grow) | Usc-ire (to exit) |
| io (I) | sarei arrivato/a (I would have arrived) | sarei cresciuto/a (I would have grown) | sarei uscito/a (I would have exited) |
| tu (you – singular) | saresti arrivato/a | saresti cresciuto/a | saresti uscito/a |
| lui (he) | sarebbe arrivato | sarebbe cresciuto | sarebbe uscito |
| lei (she) | sarebbe arrivata | sarebbe cresciuta | sarebbe uscita |
| Lei (You – formal) | sarebbe arrivato/a | sarebbe cresciuto/a | sarebbe uscito/a |
| noi (we) | saremmo arrivati/e | saremmo cresciuti/e | saremmo usciti/e |
| voi (you – plural) | sareste arrivati/e | sareste cresciuti/e | sareste usciti/e |
| loro (they) | sarebbero arrivati/e | sarebbero cresciuti/e | sarebbero usciti/e |
Other important things to remember:
- Some intransitive verbs are irregular and require the auxiliary avere:
- dormire – (to sleep)
- rispondere – (to answer)
- viaggiare – (to travel)
- vivere – (to live)
- Reflexive verbs require the auxiliary essere:
- alzarsi – (to get up)
- lavarsi – (to wash oneself)
- vestirsi – (to get dressed)
- The verb piacere requires the auxiliary essere:
- Gli sarebbe piaciuto il regalo? – (Would he have liked the gift?)
If you need help conjugating specific verbs or irregular verbs, then we highly recommend you check out Sapere:Virgilio.
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