The condizionale presente is built from a stem (identical to the futuro stem) and a single set of endings that work for all three verb classes. Master one paradigm — parlare — and the others follow with no surprises.
The endings
The six endings of the condizionale presente are:
| Person | Ending |
|---|---|
| io | -ei |
| tu | -esti |
| lui / lei / Lei | -ebbe |
| noi | -emmo |
| voi | -este |
| loro | -ebbero |
These endings are the same for -are, -ere, and -ire verbs. The only thing that varies is the stem.
How to build the stem
Take the infinitive, drop the final -e, and apply one rule:
- -are verbs: shift the a to e (parlare → parler-)
- -ere verbs: leave it alone (credere → creder-)
- -ire verbs: leave it alone (dormire → dormir-)
The shift in -are verbs is the same shift you saw in the futuro. Once you learn it for the future, you carry it over here unchanged.
Three model verbs
Here is the full conjugation of one regular verb from each class.
| Person | parlare (-are) | credere (-ere) | dormire (-ire) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerei | crederei | dormirei |
| tu | parleresti | crederesti | dormiresti |
| lui / lei / Lei | parlerebbe | crederebbe | dormirebbe |
| noi | parleremmo | crederemmo | dormiremmo |
| voi | parlereste | credereste | dormireste |
| loro | parlerebbero | crederebbero | dormirebbero |
Parlerei più spesso in italiano se non avessi paura di sbagliare.
I'd speak Italian more often if I weren't afraid of making mistakes.
Crederesti a una storia del genere?
Would you believe a story like that?
Dormiremmo volentieri un'altra ora, ma dobbiamo andare.
We'd happily sleep another hour, but we have to go.
Mi prestereste la macchina per il fine settimana?
Would you lend me the car for the weekend?
A casa loro mangerebbero pasta tutti i giorni.
At their house they'd eat pasta every single day.
Senza il tuo aiuto non finirei mai questo progetto.
Without your help I'd never finish this project.
The single most important orthographic point
Look closely at the noi form: parleremmo, with a double m. The futuro form, by contrast, is parleremo with a single m.
| Tense | noi form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| futuro semplice | parleremo | we will speak |
| condizionale presente | parleremmo | we would speak |
This one-letter difference changes the meaning of the sentence. Parleremo con il direttore domani means "we'll speak with the director tomorrow." Parleremmo con il direttore domani, se ci ricevesse means "we'd speak with the director tomorrow, if he'd see us."
The same trap repeats for every verb in every class:
| Class | Futuro (1pl) | Condizionale (1pl) |
|---|---|---|
| parlare | parleremo | parleremmo |
| credere | crederemo | crederemmo |
| dormire | dormiremo | dormiremmo |
| partire | partiremo | partiremmo |
| essere | saremo | saremmo |
| avere | avremo | avremmo |
The pair partiremo / partiremmo is, alongside parleremo / parleremmo, the most common test for whether a learner has internalized the contrast. Drill them until you produce them automatically.
Domani partiremo presto per evitare il traffico.
Tomorrow we'll leave early to avoid traffic. (futuro)
Partiremmo subito, ma manca ancora il visto.
We'd leave right away, but the visa hasn't come through yet. (condizionale)
The other endings: a closer look
The other person forms are easier, but each has its own pitfall.
- The 3sg ends in -ebbe (with a double b): parlerebbe, crederebbe, dormirebbe.
- The 3pl is the 3sg + -ro: parlerebbero. The double b is preserved.
- The 2sg -esti and 2pl -este look almost identical. The difference is the final i. Parleresti (you would speak) vs. parlereste (you-all would speak).
Marta parlerebbe a chiunque, è di una socievolezza incredibile.
Marta would speak to anyone — she's incredibly sociable.
I miei genitori capirebbero, ne sono sicura.
My parents would understand, I'm sure of it.
Tu cosa diresti al posto mio?
What would you say in my place?
Voi cosa direste al posto mio?
What would you all say in my place?
Spelling adjustments in the stem
Just as in the futuro and the presente, certain stem-final consonants need orthographic care to keep their pronunciation consistent.
-care, -gare verbs (insert h)
Cercare (to look for) and pagare (to pay) need an h before the e of the conditional ending to keep the hard /k/ and /g/ sounds.
| Person | cercare | pagare |
|---|---|---|
| io | cercherei | pagherei |
| tu | cercheresti | pagheresti |
| lui / lei | cercherebbe | pagherebbe |
| noi | cercheremmo | pagheremmo |
| voi | cerchereste | paghereste |
| loro | cercherebbero | pagherebbero |
Pagherei volentieri il conto, ma ho lasciato il portafoglio a casa.
I'd happily pay the bill, but I left my wallet at home.
-ciare, -giare verbs (drop the i)
Cominciare and mangiare drop the silent i of the stem before the conditional ending, which already begins with e.
| Person | cominciare | mangiare |
|---|---|---|
| io | comincerei | mangerei |
| tu | cominceresti | mangeresti |
| lui / lei | comincerebbe | mangerebbe |
| noi | cominceremmo | mangeremmo |
| voi | comincereste | mangereste |
| loro | comincerebbero | mangerebbero |
Mangerei una pizza intera adesso, ho una fame da lupi.
I'd eat a whole pizza right now — I'm starving.
Cominceremmo subito, ma manca ancora qualcuno.
We'd start right away, but someone's still missing.
These spelling rules are exactly the same as in the futuro and the presente — there's nothing new to memorize. See orthographic changes in conjugations for the full picture.
Common mistakes
❌ Domani parleremmo con il direttore.
Wrong tense — this means 'we would speak,' not 'we will speak.'
✅ Domani parleremo con il direttore.
Correct — futuro semplice for a planned future action, single m.
❌ Parleremo con il direttore se ci ricevesse.
Wrong tense — should be conditional, not future, in the consequence of an unreal condition.
✅ Parleremmo con il direttore se ci ricevesse.
Correct — condizionale presente, double m, hypothetical outcome.
❌ Io parlarei con lui.
Incorrect stem — -are verbs shift the a to e: parl**er**ei, not parl**ar**ei.
✅ Io parlerei con lui.
Correct — the regular -a- → -e- shift applies.
❌ Tu pagereste il conto?
Person mismatch — pagereste is the voi form; for tu, use pagheresti.
✅ Tu pagheresti il conto?
Correct — tu form ends in -esti.
❌ Loro mangiarebbero tutto in un secondo.
Incorrect — -ciare/-giare verbs drop the silent i before the e of the ending.
✅ Loro mangerebbero tutto in un secondo.
Correct — silent i dropped, single g + e + rebbero.
❌ Cerceresti di capire prima di giudicare?
Incorrect — -care verbs need an h before -e to preserve the hard c.
✅ Cercheresti di capire prima di giudicare?
Correct — h inserted.
Key takeaways
The condizionale presente is built from the futuro stem + the conditional endings -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero. The two crucial points:
- The double m in -emmo is what makes the noi form a conditional and not a future. Single m = future, double m = conditional. No exceptions.
- -are verbs shift -a- to -e- in the stem, exactly as in the futuro: parlerei, mangerei, pagherei.
Once regular formation is automatic, move on to irregular stems — the same verbs whose stems you already know from the futuro.
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Il Condizionale: OverviewA2 — The Italian conditional is a mood, not a tense — it expresses what would, could, or should happen. This page surveys both its tenses, its five core uses, and why learning it alongside the future cuts your work in half.
- Condizionale Presente: Irregular StemsA2 — Nineteen high-frequency verbs use irregular stems in the condizionale — exactly the same stems they use in the futuro. Learn them once, use them twice.
- Condizionale Passato: FormationB1 — How to build the Italian past conditional — auxiliary, participle, agreement — and the three uses (past hypotheticals, past politeness, future-in-the-past) that English speakers usually miss.
- Futuro: Complete ReferenceA2 — A consolidated reference for both Italian future tenses — futuro semplice and futuro anteriore — including regular endings, the full inventory of irregular stems, compound formation, and the often-overlooked epistemic uses.
- Orthographic Changes in ConjugationsA2 — How Italian adjusts the spelling of verbs to preserve their pronunciation across conjugations — the silent h, the dropped i, and other small surgeries.