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Conjugation
Objective: Adjust the tone of advice or critique by varying conditional modal structures with devoir and pouvoir.
| Form | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| tu dois | obligation, firm | neutral |
| tu devrais | advice, softened | polite |
| tu aurais dû | regret, reproach | neutral to formal |
| tu peux | permission, ability | neutral |
| tu pourrais | possibility, polite request | polite |
| tu aurais pu | missed possibility, reproach | neutral to formal |
The present of devoir states a firm obligation, while the conditional devrais softens the advice into a recommendation.
The passé composé of devoir reports an obligation that was actually imposed, while reproach about a past decision requires the past conditional aurais dû.
A bare conditional fragment showing the softened form of devoir, ready to be attached to an infinitive.
A bare past-conditional fragment of pouvoir, ready to be attached to an infinitive.
The conditional present softens the advice without imposing an obligation.
The past conditional evaluates a past decision and expresses reproach.
The conditional pourriez turns a request into a polite question.
The past conditional marks a missed opportunity rather than a request.
7 exercises · about 11 minutes
The conditional present pourriez places the action at the moment of speaking, while a past reference requires the past conditional auriez pu.
The past conditional of pouvoir is built with the auxiliary avoir and the participle pu, while devrais is the conditional of devoir and cannot take a past participle.
A firm statement about a future ability takes the future simple pourrai, while the conditional pourrais would present the confirmation as a hypothetical possibility rather than a commitment.
The conditional devrait expresses a probability rather than an obligation.
The conditional pourrait states a possibility without asserting it as a fact.