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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avancer

Get the Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) tense conjugation of avancer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb avancer is “to advance” or “to move forward.” It is pronounced /a.vɑ̃.se/ in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word avancer can be traced back to the Latin word “abante,” meaning “forward” or “in front.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has since evolved to have various meanings and uses.

In everyday French, avancer is most often used in the Conditionnel Présent tense to express a hypothetical or potential action. It is formed by adding the conditional endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient to the infinitive form of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of avancer in the Conditionnel Présent tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Si j’avais plus de temps, j’avancerais mes études. (If I had more time, I would advance my studies.)
  2. Tu pourrais avancer ta retraite si tu le souhaites. (You could advance your retirement if you wish.)
  3. Nous avancerions plus vite si nous avions un plan d’action. (We would advance faster if we had an action plan.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je avancerais Je avancerais si j’avais le temps. I would move forward if I had the time.
tu avancerais Tu avancerais plus vite. You would move forward faster.
il avancerait Il avancerait s’il n’était pas fatigué. He would move forward if he wasn’t tired.
elle avancerait Elle avancerait son projet. She would move forward with her project.
on avancerait On avancerait ensemble. We would move forward together.
nous avancerions Nous avancerions vers le sud. We would move forward towards the south.
vous avanceriez Vous avanceriez plus prudemment. You would move forward more cautiously.
ils avanceraient Ils avanceraient leur plan. They would move forward with their plan.
elles avanceraient Elles avanceraient ensemble. They would move forward together.

Other Conjugations for Avancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the avancer Conditionnel Présent tense conjugation!

Avancer – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb avancer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply