French tenses

Imparfait vs. Conditionnel: how to choose

Same endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) — the difference is entirely in the stem, not the ending. Imparfait builds from the nous-form of the présent (nous parlons → je parlais); conditionnel builds from the infinitive (parler → je parlerais). Unlike futur/conditionnel or présent/subjonctif, these two aren't really usage-confusable — imparfait describes a past state/habit, conditionnel expresses a hypothesis or softened request, entirely different jobs. The real risk is form: shared endings make them easy to mis-stem under time pressure.

The decision: Is it a past scene, state, or habit? → imparfait, normally built from the nous-present stem. Is it hypothetical, softened, or future-in-the-past? → conditionnel, built from the futur stem. With irregular stems (être → ét-/ser-, aller → all-/ir-, avoir → av-/aur-), the ending alone will not identify the form — check the stem and context. A wish felt at a past moment (je souhaitais, je voulais) is imparfait; the conditionnel of the same verb (je souhaiterais, je voudrais) softens a present request or states a hypothesis.

The choices at a glance

Choose	When to use it	Pattern and example
Imparfait	Describes a past state, scene, or habit — nothing hypothetical, no condition attached.	Quand j'étais petit, je jouais dehors.
Conditionnel	A hypothetical result, a polite/softened request, or a future reported from a past viewpoint.	Je voudrais un café.

Compare the meaning

Je parlais.

Je parlerais.

Common mistakes

✗ Quand j'étais petit, je jouerais dehors tous les jours.

✓ Quand j'étais petit, je jouais dehors tous les jours.

A repeated past habit is imparfait, not conditionnel — the infinitive-based conditionnel stem here is the classic 'sounds similar' slip on regular -er verbs.

✗ Pendant mon stage, je souhaiterais apprendre le métier, alors j'ai posé beaucoup de questions.

✓ Pendant mon stage, je souhaitais apprendre le métier, alors j'ai posé beaucoup de questions.

A desire that belonged to a past period is imparfait. Je souhaiterais would express a polite or hypothetical wish now (« je souhaiterais vous rencontrer ») — not a past wish.

✗ Quand j'étais jeune, je serais content de jouer dehors.

✓ Quand j'étais jeune, j'étais content de jouer dehors.

'être' has two unrelated stems — ét- for imparfait, ser- for conditionnel — so unlike regular verbs they don't even sound alike; mixing them up here is picking the wrong tense for a habitual past description, not a spelling slip.

✗ Je savais qu'elle aimerait danser. (she already liked dancing)

✓ Je savais qu'elle aimait danser.

To report a state that was already true at that time, keep the imparfait after a past main verb. Je savais qu'elle aimerait danser is grammatical but means something else: I expected she would enjoy dancing (a future-in-the-past guess about one occasion).

Practise this decision in FKE

The interactive comparison includes decision practice and links to the related FKE knowledge tools.

Open Imparfait vs. Conditionnel in FKE