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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alléger

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The English translation of the French verb alléger is “to lighten” or “to ease”. It is pronounced as “ah-leh-zhay”.

The word alléger comes from the Latin word “levigare”, meaning “to make smooth or light”. It was later adopted into Old French as “allegier”, which then evolved into its modern form “alléger”. In everyday French, alléger is most often used as a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. It is used to describe the action of making something lighter or less heavy, both physically and figuratively.

In the Conditionnel Présent tense, alléger is used to express a potential or hypothetical action that could occur in the present or future. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the conditional form followed by the past participle “allégé”. Here are three simple examples of how alléger is used in the Conditionnel Présent tense:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, j’allégerais mon emploi du temps. (If I had more time, I would lighten my schedule.)
  2. Tu pourrais alléger ta valise en enlevant quelques affaires. (You could lighten your suitcase by taking out some items.)
  3. Nous allégerions le fardeau financier de nos parents si nous trouvions un emploi. (We would ease the financial burden on our parents if we found a job.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je allégerais J’allégerais mon sac. I would lighten my bag.
tu allégerais Tu allégerais ta charge. You would lighten your load.
il allégerait Il allégerait son fardeau. He would lighten his burden.
elle allégerait Elle allégerait son fardeau. She would lighten her burden.
on allégerait On allégerait les règles. One would lighten the rules.
nous allégerions Nous allégerions nos dettes. We would lighten our debts.
vous allégeriez Vous allégeriez la tâche. You would lighten the task.
ils allégeraient Ils allégeraient leurs soucis. They would lighten their worries.
elles allégeraient Elles allégeraient leurs charges. They would lighten their burdens.

Other Conjugations for Alléger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alléger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Alléger – 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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