conditionnel
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin conditiōnālis (“conditional”), from conditiō (“condition”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɔ̃.di.sjɔ.nɛl/
Audio: (file)
Adjective
conditionnel (feminine conditionnelle, masculine plural conditionnels, feminine plural conditionnelles)
- conditional, depending on conditions
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- → Dutch: conditioneel
- → German: konditionell
- → Romanian: condițional
- → Yiddish: קאָנדיציאָנעל (konditsyonel)
Noun
conditionnel m (plural conditionnels)
- (linguistics, grammar) conditional, the conditional mood or the conditional tense
Usage notes
French makes a distinction between conditionnel as a mood (as in the Si je le pouvais, je le ferais) and as a tense (as in Je lui avais promis que je le ferais), where it is required by tense harmony after a past main clause (it replaces the futur simple of the equivalent Je lui ai promis que je le ferai).
See also
Further reading
- “conditionnel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
conditionnel m (plural conditionnels)