Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acheter

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The English translation of the French verb acheter is “to buy”. The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-shuh-tay”.

The word acheter comes from the Latin “accapitare”, meaning “to seize or acquire”. It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which indicates a hypothetical action or situation that may occur in the future.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture. (If I had money, I would buy a new car.)

  2. Nous achèterions une maison à la campagne si nous gagnions à la loterie. (We would buy a house in the countryside if we won the lottery.)

  3. Tu m’achèterais des fleurs si je te demandais gentiment ? (Would you buy me some flowers if I asked you nicely?)

Table of the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of acheter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je achèterais Je achèterais une voiture. I would buy a car.
tu achèterais Tu achèterais des cadeaux. You would buy gifts.
il achèterait Il achèterait une maison. He would buy a house.
elle achèterait Elle achèterait des vêtements. She would buy clothes.
on achèterait On achèterait du pain. One would buy bread.
nous achèterions Nous achèterions un cadeau. We would buy a gift.
vous achèteriez Vous achèteriez des billets. You would buy tickets.
ils achèteraient Ils achèteraient des livres. They would buy books.
elles achèteraient Elles achèteraient des fleurs. They would buy flowers.

Other Conjugations for Acheter.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter (this article)

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Acheter – About the French Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Présent” tense, often called the present conditional tense in English, is used to express actions or events that are considered hypothetical, possible, or uncertain in the present or future. It’s the equivalent of “would” or “could” in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Conditionnel Présent tense for regular verbs, you take the infinitive form of the verb and add the appropriate endings. For example, using the verb “parler” (to speak): 

Je parlerais (I would speak) 
Tu parlerais (You would speak)
Il/elle/on parlerait (He/she/one would speak)
Nous parlerions (We would speak) 
Vous parleriez (You would speak)
Ils/elles parleraient (They would speak) 

Note – For irregular verbs, the stem might change, so you need to memorize the conjugation.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Polite Requests

The Conditionnel Présent is often used to make polite requests or suggestions. Instead of using the imperative, which can be more direct, the conditional is softer and more courteous. For example: “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît” (I would like a coffee, please). 

Expressing Hypothetical Situations

It’s used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations. For instance, “Si j’avais de l’argent, j’achèterais une nouvelle voiture” (If I had money, I would buy a new car). 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

The conditional can convey doubt or uncertainty about something in the present or future. “Il serait peut-être en retard” (He might be late).

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The Conditionnel Présent is often used with the present tense to express hypothetical or conditional statements. For example, “Si tu viens demain, nous irons au cinéma” (If you come tomorrow, we will go to the movies). 

Past Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can also be used with past tenses like the imparfait to indicate a past hypothetical action. For instance, “J’aurais aimé être là hier” (I would have liked to be there yesterday). 

Future Tense

The Conditionnel Présent can be combined with the future tense to indicate future actions that are dependent on certain conditions. For example, “Il viendrait si tu l’invitais” (He would come if you invited him).
 

Conditional Perfect

If you want to express a hypothetical action in the past that didn’t happen, you can use the Conditionnel Présent with the past participle to form the conditional perfect. For example, “Il aurait fini son travail s’il n’était pas tombé malade” (He would have finished his work if he hadn’t gotten sick).

Summary

The Conditionnel Présent is a versatile tense in French, allowing speakers to discuss possibilities, hypothetical scenarios, and make polite requests. It’s essential to understand its usage patterns and how it interacts with other tenses to communicate effectively in various situations.

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