NOTES
(from Duolingo)
The conditional is another grammatical mood, and simply put, it’s the Italian equivalent of the English verbs “would”, “could”, “might” and “should.”
- Lo farei solo per te. (I would do it only for you.)
- Lei potrebbe leggere un libro. (She could/might read a book.)
- Tu dovresti essere qui. (You should be here.)
So, in Italian instead of “could” and “might” you use the conditional of the verb potere (can, to be able to), instead of should you use the conditional of dovere (must), and instead of “would…” you just use the conditional, because there’s no need for an additional verb.
The conditional is formed by taking the root of the future tense, and adding these endings:
AMARE | VEDERE | CAPIRE | |
io | amerei | vedrei | capirei |
tu | ameresti | vedresti | capiresti |
lui, lei | amerebbe | vedrebbe | capirebbe |
noi | ameremmo | vedremmo | capiremmo |
voi | amereste | vedreste | capireste |
loro | amerebbero | vedrebbero | capirebbero |
NOTES
(by DuoItalian)
One of the more commonly used conditional verbs (in everyday conversation) is the irregular volere (to want). However, in this case it is used to say or ask what you “would like.”
- Che cosa vorresti bere, signore? (What would you like to drink, sir?)
- Vorrei una birra, per favore. (I would like a beer, please.)
- Dove vorreste mangiare stasera? (Where would you like to eat tonight?)
- Vorremo mangiare al ristorante di Marco. (We would like to eat at Marco’s restaurant.)
As you can see from these examples, it is often used with an infinitive to say or ask what you “would like to do.”
VOLERE | ||
io | vorrei | I would like |
tu | vorresti | you would like |
lui,lei | vorrebbe | he,she would like |
noi | vorremo | we would like |
voi | vorreste | you (all) would like |
loro | vorrebbero | they would like |
TIP: You can also obviously use piacere (to like) in the conditional to say what you “would like.” It is just not as commonly utilized in this manner and may be slightly more difficult for beginners.
- Mi piacerebbe vedere quel film. (I would like to see that movie.)
VOCABULARY
(from Duolingo)
lavorerebbero | they would work |
prenderebbero | they would take |
avrebbe | he would have |
sarebbe | he would be |
daresti | you would give |
farei | I would make |
starei | I would stay |
andrebbero | they would go |
potrebbe | he would be able to |
saprei | I would know (something) |
vedrei | I would see |
vivrebbe | he would live |
vorremmo | we would want |
leggereste | you (all) would read |
verresti | you would come |
parlerei | I would talk |
diremmo | we would say |
scriverei | I would write |
finireste | you (all) would finish |
conosceresti | you would know (someone) |
troverebbe | he would find |
penserei | I would think |
metterebbe | he would put |
porteresti | you would take |
crederebbero | they would believe |
lascerebbe | he would leave |
capirebbe | he would understand |
sentirei | I would feel |
terrai | I would keep |
diventerebbe | he would become |
passeremmo | we would pass |
entrerebbe | he would enter |
morirebbero | they would die |
piacerebbe | he would like |
guarderemmo | we would look |
aprirebbe | he would open |
unirei | I would join |
cambierebbe | he would change |
offrirebbe | he would offer |
suoneresti | you would play (instrument) |
perderemmo | we would lose |
proverebbe | he would try |
costuirei | I would build |
Hello, if I may, I’d like to discuss one of the example phrases:
.
Shouldn’t it be “vorrebbe”, since when talking to a “signore”, we would be using the formal “Lei”? Thank you very much for this immensely helful site! 🙂
Ciao Zdeněk!
Yes, I believe “vorrebbe” would likely be used more often given the formality of the conversation. However, “vorresti” is not necessarily incorrect here, as the informal is also used by many in these same circumstances.
For instance, “salve” and “buongiorno” are more formal greetings in Italian. But I chose to greet you here with “ciao”, just by personal preference.
I hope that helps?
Thanks for commenting and for the kind words about the site!