je le ferais
In French, "I would" is translated as je le ferais.
The phrase je le ferais is used to express a hypothetical action that someone is willing to do in a certain situation.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the conditional and the future tense. The conditional je le ferais (with an 's') expresses a hypothetical 'would', whereas the future tense je le ferai (without an 's') expresses a certain 'will'.
Did you know?
- In spoken French, the conditional je le ferais and the future je le ferai sound exactly the same. The only way to tell them apart in conversation is through the context of the sentence.
- French speakers often use the conditional je le ferais to make a request sound more polite or tentative, a social function known as the 'conditionnel de politesse'.
- The pronoun je is a direct descendant of the Latin 'ego', the same root used for the English word 'egocentric'.
Examples in context
- Je le ferais à nouveau.I would do it again.This sentence shows how to use je le ferais to express doing something again.Tatoeba #1907695 by sacredceltic, translation #1907685 by Spamster
- Je le ferais si je pouvais.I would do that if I could.This sentence demonstrates using je le ferais in a conditional clause starting with "if".Tatoeba #4020108 by Rovo, translation #5850642 by CK
- C'est comme ça que je le ferais.That's how I would do it.This sentence illustrates how to use je le ferais to describe a method or way of doing something.Tatoeba #5375130 by Aiji, translation #1897792 by CK
- Je voudrais une tasse de caféI would like a cup of coffee
- Je souhaiterais visiter Paris un jourI would like to visit Paris one day
- Je serais ravi(e) de venirI would be delighted to come
- Je veux bienI'm willing
- J'aimerais bien aller au cinéma ce soirI'd love to go to the movies tonight
- Je voudrais un verre d'eau, s'il vous plaît.I would like a glass of water, please.
- J'aimerais bien, mais je dois étudier.I would love to, but I have to study.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a difficult task at work.
- ChloéC'est une tâche très difficile, tu vas l'aider ?It's a very difficult task, are you going to help him?
- NathanSi c'était urgent, je le ferais volontiers.If it were urgent, I would do it gladly.
- ChloéTu es vraiment très gentil, Nathan.You are truly very kind, Nathan.
- NathanC'est normal, Chloé.It's normal, Chloé.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
