Conditional tense

    AQA
    GCSE

    The Conditional Tense (Le Conditionnel) serves as a critical mood and tense within French grammar, bridging the indicative and subjunctive realms. It functions primarily to express hypothetical actions contingent on unfulfilled conditions, polite requests, and the 'future in the past' within reported speech. Mastery requires precise manipulation of the future stem combined with imperfect endings, alongside the syntactic management of 'si' clauses.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
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    Key Terms
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    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for the correct application of imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the future stem
    • Credit the accurate formation of irregular stems (e.g., aur-, ser-, fer-, ir-) without prompting
    • Candidates must link 'si' clauses correctly: Si + Imperfect + Conditional (e.g., 'Si j'avais le choix, je ferais...')
    • Reward the use of modal verbs in the conditional (e.g., 'on devrait', 'il faudrait') to express advice or necessity

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have used the future stem correctly, but check your ending—it must match the imperfect for the conditional tense"
    • "Good attempt at a 'si' clause; remember that the verb immediately following 'si' must be in the imperfect, not the conditional"
    • "To access higher marks for Range of Language, replace 'je voudrais' with a more complex irregular verb like 'je pourrais'"
    • "Watch out for the stem of 'aller'; it changes to 'ir-' in the conditional, not 'aller-'"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for the correct application of imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the future stem
    • Credit the accurate formation of irregular stems (e.g., aur-, ser-, fer-, ir-) without prompting
    • Candidates must link 'si' clauses correctly: Si + Imperfect + Conditional (e.g., 'Si j'avais le choix, je ferais...')
    • Reward the use of modal verbs in the conditional (e.g., 'on devrait', 'il faudrait') to express advice or necessity

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡In the 150-word writing task, explicitly plan to include at least two conditional verbs to satisfy the 'complex structures' criterion
    • 💡Memorize the 'Dirty Dozen' irregular stems (aur-, ir-, fer-, ser-, devr-, pourr-) to avoid losing accuracy marks
    • 💡Use 'je voudrais' or 'j'aimerais' for polite requests in the Role-play, but ensure variety in the General Conversation
    • 💡When translating 'would' into French, check if it implies a past habit (Imperfect) or a hypothetical (Conditional)

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Confusing Future Simple endings (-ai) with Conditional endings (-ais), particularly in the 'je' form
    • Incorrectly forming stems for irregular verbs (e.g., writing 'faiserais' instead of 'ferais')
    • Using the conditional tense immediately after 'si' (e.g., 'Si je serais riche' instead of 'Si j'étais riche')
    • Mispronouncing the difference between future and conditional endings in the Speaking exam

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

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