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You have seen how the **conditionnel présent** (present conditional) is used to talk about hypothetical situations and dreams. In French, just like in English, this mood is also the standard way to be polite. 

When dealing with bureaucracy and government administration, softening your requests with "I would like" or "Could you" goes a long way.

### Expressing Wishes: *J'aimerais*

Instead of making a blunt demand with *je veux* (I want), you can use the conditional of *aimer* (to like/love). Because *aimer* is a regular verb, it simply takes its infinitive and adds the imperfect ending: **j'aimerais** (I would like).

Use *j'aimerais* to politely state what you need to do, such as filling out (*remplir*) paperwork or requesting official documents like an ID card (*une carte d'identité*) or a visa:

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### Making Requests: *Vous pourriez*

To politely ask someone else to do something, use the conditional of **pouvoir** (can / to be able to). This translates perfectly to "could you...".

Because *pouvoir* has an irregular future stem (**pourr-**), its conditional forms look like this:

| Pronoun | Pouvoir (to be able to) |
|---|---|
| je | je pourrais |
| tu | tu pourrais |
| il / elle / on | il pourrait |
| nous | nous pourrions |
| vous | vous pourriez |
| ils / elles | ils pourraient |

If you need help at a counter (*un guichet*) or need an official to explain a tax (*un impôt*), **vous pourriez** is the most courteous way to ask:

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You will also hear officials use this form to ask you for a signature or to verify if your documents are valid (*valide*):

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Polite requests (j'aimerais, tu pourrais...)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the administration (f)	l'administration
I would like to work in public administration.	J'aimerais travailler dans une administration.
It is a very slow administration.	C'est une administration très lente.
official	officiel
Could you read this official document?	Vous pourriez lire ce document officiel ?
Why is an official document important?	Pourquoi est-ce qu'un document officiel est important ?
the counter	le guichet
Could you go to the counter, please?	Vous pourriez aller au guichet, s'il vous plaît ?
I am waiting for him at the counter.	Je l'attends au guichet.
to fill out / to fill (a container)	remplir
I would like to fill out this form.	J'aimerais remplir ce formulaire.
You must fill it out today.	Il faut le remplir aujourd'hui.
the tax (m)	l'impôt
Could you explain this tax to me?	Vous pourriez m'expliquer cet impôt ?
We paid the taxes yesterday.	Nous avons payé les impôts hier.
to renew	renouveler
I would like to renew my passport.	J'aimerais renouveler mon passeport.
You could renew it at the counter.	Vous pourriez le renouveler au guichet.
the card	la carte
the identity (f)	l'identité
I would like an identity card.	J'aimerais une carte d'identité.
You must verify his identity.	Il faut vérifier son identité.
valid (legally or technically)	valide
My identity card is no longer valid.	Ma carte d'identité n'est plus valide.
Could you show me a valid passport?	Vous pourriez me montrer un passeport valide ?
the visa	le visa
I would like a visa to travel.	J'aimerais un visa pour voyager.
We are waiting for the official visa.	Nous attendons le visa officiel.
Could you sign here, please?	Vous pourriez signer ici, s'il vous plaît ?
the signature	la signature
A signature is required on this document.	Il faut une signature sur ce document.
I would like a signature on this form, please.	J'aimerais une signature sur ce formulaire, s'il vous plaît.

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