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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cibler

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The English translation of the French verb cibler is “to target” or “to aim at.” The infinitive form is pronounced “see-blair.”

The word cibler comes from the Latin word “cibus,” meaning “food.” It evolved into the Old French word “cible,” which meant “target.” In modern French, cibler is most often used in its figurative sense, meaning to aim at a specific goal or objective.

In the Conditionnel Présent tense, cibler is used to express a future possibility or hypothetical situation. Three examples of its usage in this tense, with English translations, are:

1) Si je gagnais à la loterie, je ciblerais mes investissements. (If I were to win the lottery, I would target my investments.)
2) Tu pourrais cibler un public plus jeune avec cette publicité. (You could target a younger audience with this advertisement.)
3) Elles cibleraient les zones les plus touchées par la pauvreté. (They would target the areas most affected by poverty.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je ciblerais Je ciblerais mes objectifs. I would target my goals.
tu ciblerais Tu ciblerais mieux. You would target better.
il ciblerait Il ciblerait ses clients. He would target his clients.
elle ciblerait Elle ciblerait son marché. She would target her market.
on ciblerait On ciblerait les jeunes. One would target the youth.
nous ciblerions Nous ciblerions nos efforts. We would target our efforts.
vous cibleriez Vous cibleriez les erreurs. You would target the mistakes.
ils cibleraient Ils cibleraient un produit. They would target a product.
elles cibleraient Elles cibleraient leur audience. They would target their audience.

Other Conjugations for Cibler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cibler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cibler – 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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