Condizionale Presente: Irregular Stems | Italian Grammar

A compact group of high-frequency verbs forms the condizionale presente from an irregular stem rather than the predictable infinitive-minus-e. The single most important fact about these stems: they are identical to the irregular futuro stems. If you have learned andrò, avrò, sarò, vorrò, potrò, you already know andrei, avrei, sarei, vorrei, potrei — same stem, different endings.

This page collects the 19 verbs you actually need, drills the full paradigm of one of them, and shows the high-value sentences where these forms appear daily.

The 19 stems

The list below covers virtually every irregular condizionale you'll meet in real Italian. Three families, exactly as in the futuro.

Syncopated stems (the -ere vowel drops)

Infinitive	Stem	1sg condizionale	3sg condizionale
andare	andr-	andrei	andrebbe
avere	avr-	avrei	avrebbe
dovere	dovr-	dovrei	dovrebbe
potere	potr-	potrei	potrebbe
sapere	sapr-	saprei	saprebbe
vedere	vedr-	vedrei	vedrebbe
vivere	vivr-	vivrei	vivrebbe
cadere	cadr-	cadrei	cadrebbe

Double-consonant stems (-rr-)

Infinitive	Stem	1sg condizionale	3sg condizionale
bere	berr-	berrei	berrebbe
parere	parr-	parrei	parrebbe
rimanere	rimarr-	rimarrei	rimarrebbe
tenere	terr-	terrei	terrebbe
venire	verr-	verrei	verrebbe
volere	vorr-	vorrei	vorrebbe

Short-stem irregulars (-are verbs that keep the a, plus essere)

Infinitive	Stem	1sg condizionale	3sg condizionale
essere	sar-	sarei	sarebbe
fare	far-	farei	farebbe
dare	dar-	darei	darebbe
stare	star-	starei	starebbe
dire	dir-	direi	direbbe

(Each of the 16 verbs above takes the same condizionale endings as regular verbs: -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero.)

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The teaching point is simple and powerful: whatever stem you use in the futuro, you use in the condizionale. Memorize the irregular futuro stems once, and you have unlocked both tenses for free. Tracking two parallel lists is wasted effort.

Full paradigm: potere

To see the irregular stem combine with the regular endings, here is potere in full.

Person	Conjugation	Meaning
io	potrei	I could / I might be able to
tu	potresti	you could
lui / lei / Lei	potrebbe	he/she could
noi	potremmo	we could
voi	potreste	you-all could
loro	potrebbero	they could

Note the double m in potremmo — the same orthographic trap as in regular -are/-ere/-ire verbs. Remember: futuro = single m (potremo), condizionale = double m (potremmo).

High-value sentences

These are the irregular condizionale forms you will use every day. Memorize the patterns, not the individual sentences.

Polite ordering and asking

Vorrei un caffè macchiato, per favore.

I'd like a macchiato, please.

Potrei avere il conto?

Could I have the bill?

Mi daresti una mano con questa scatola?

Could you give me a hand with this box?

Saprebbe indicarmi la strada per la stazione?

Could you tell me the way to the station? (formal)

Soft suggestions and advice

Dovresti riposare un po' di più.

You should rest a bit more.

Non farei tanti programmi prima di sapere se sarai libera.

I wouldn't make too many plans before knowing whether you'll be free.

Direi di aspettare ancora qualche giorno prima di decidere.

I'd say wait a few more days before deciding.

Hypotheticals and daydreaming

Vivrei volentieri al mare, se potessi scegliere.

I'd happily live by the sea if I could choose.

Andremmo a Roma in treno, è più rilassante che guidare.

We'd go to Rome by train — it's more relaxing than driving.

Verrei con te se non avessi già un impegno.

I'd come with you if I didn't already have a commitment.

Sarei stanco anch'io dopo una giornata così.

I'd be tired too after a day like that.

Hesitation and refusal

Non saprei cosa dirle, francamente.

I wouldn't know what to tell her, honestly.

Non terrei un appuntamento del genere alle sette di mattina.

I wouldn't keep an appointment like that at seven in the morning.

Why vorrei is the single most important word on this page

If you can only memorize one irregular condizionale, make it vorrei. It is the most common Italian word for polite requests — every order at a bar, every soft "I'd like to" introduction, every gentle desire. Pair it with infinitives, nouns, or che + congiuntivo, and you have the bedrock of polite Italian:

Vorrei un'acqua naturale.

I'd like a still water.

Vorrei sapere a che ora apre il museo.

I'd like to know what time the museum opens.

Vorrei che tu venissi con noi.

I'd like you to come with us.

A learner who reaches for voglio in these contexts (the bare indicative) sounds curt to Italian ears. The condizionale is not optional politeness — it's the default register for asking.

A note on dovrei and potrei

These two are particularly worth learning together because they together cover most of English should and could.

dovrei = "I should" / "I ought to" (advice, obligation softened)
potrei = "I could" / "I might" (possibility, permission softened)

Dovrei chiamare mia madre, è da una settimana che non la sento.

I should call my mother — I haven't heard from her in a week.

Potresti spiegarmelo di nuovo? Non ho capito.

Could you explain it to me again? I didn't get it.

Lui dovrebbe arrivare verso le otto.

He should be arriving around eight. (expectation, not obligation)

The last sentence shows a useful crossover with the epistemic future — dovrebbe often expresses expectation or probability, just as English should can ("the train should arrive at eight"). Italian uses the conditional for this register; English uses the bare modal.

Common mistakes

❌ Voglio un caffè, per favore.

Sounds blunt, almost demanding — Italian uses the conditional for polite requests.

✅ Vorrei un caffè, per favore.

Correct — vorrei is the standard polite request form.

❌ Andarei in vacanza la prossima settimana.

Incorrect — andare uses the syncopated stem andr-, never the regular ander-.

✅ Andrei in vacanza la prossima settimana.

Correct — andrei is the irregular 1sg form.

❌ Sarremo felici di aiutarvi.

Incorrect — essere uses sar- (one r), not sarr-. Compare to verremmo from venire.

✅ Saremmo felici di aiutarvi.

Correct — saremmo, with the conditional double m.

❌ Vorremo andare al cinema stasera.

Wrong tense — single m means future ('we will want'), not conditional ('we'd like').

✅ Vorremmo andare al cinema stasera.

Correct — vorremmo, double m, condizionale.

❌ Potrebberò venire anche loro?

Incorrect — the 3pl ending is -ebbero, not -ebberò; the accent does not appear in conditional endings.

✅ Potrebbero venire anche loro?

Correct — 3pl ends in -ebbero, no accent.

❌ Berrò volentieri un altro bicchiere se mi versi.

Wrong tense — futuro 'I will drink' rather than the polite 'I'd drink' the speaker means.

✅ Berrei volentieri un altro bicchiere se mi versi.

Correct — condizionale, signaling polite willingness.

Key takeaways

Nineteen high-frequency verbs form the condizionale presente from an irregular stem.
The irregular stem is identical to the futuro stem — there is nothing new to memorize if you already know the futuro.
The endings are the regular ones: -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero.
Vorrei, potrei, dovrei are the three highest-frequency forms; learn them first.
The double-m vs. single-m contrast in the noi form (vorremmo vs. vorremo) survives in the irregulars unchanged.

Continue to condizionale passato to learn the compound tense — also built on these same stems.

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