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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb courber

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The English translation of the French verb courber is to bend or to curve. The infinitive form is pronounced as “koor-bay.”

The verb courber comes from the Latin word “curvare,” meaning to bend or to arch. It is most often used in everyday French in the Conditionnel Présent tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action or event in the present or future.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si tu étais plus souple, tu pourrais courber ton corps pour toucher tes pieds. (If you were more flexible, you could bend your body to touch your feet.)
  2. Je courberais mes règles pour te permettre de participer à cette activité. (I would bend my rules to allow you to participate in this activity.)
  3. Ils courberaient leur fierté pour obtenir cet emploi. (They would bend their pride to get this job.)

The English translations for these sentences are:

  1. If you were more flexible, you could bend your body to touch your feet.
  2. I would bend my rules to allow you to participate in this activity.
  3. They would bend their pride to get this job.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je courberais Je courberais pour l’art. I would bend for art.
tu courberais Tu courberais facilement. You would bend easily.
il courberait Il courberait la tige. He would bend the stem.
elle courberait Elle courberait le papier. She would bend the paper.
on courberait On courberait sous la pression. One would bend under pressure.
nous courberions Nous courberions pour l’amour. We would bend for love.
vous courberiez Vous courberiez pour la cause. You would bend for the cause.
ils courberaient Ils courberaient la règle. They would bend the rule.
elles courberaient Elles courberaient le bois. They would bend the wood.

Other Conjugations for Courber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb courber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Courber – 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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