Lesson 6: The Conditional Mood
Master the -us ending for wishes, hypotheticals, polite requests, and both real and unreal conditional sentences.
Overview
The conditional mood — marked in Esperanto by the verb ending -us — expresses actions that are contingent on certain conditions, events that might or could happen, wishes and desires about non-real situations, and polite, softened requests. It is the mood of hypotheticals, dreams, and diplomatic communication. In English this meaning is expressed using modal auxiliaries like "would," "could," and "might," which can be irregular and confusing. In Esperanto, a single ending -us does all of this work, applied consistently to any verb root.
At B1 you will learn to use the conditional in two types of conditional sentences (real and unreal), in polite requests and wishes, and to understand the subtle but important distinction between volus (would want — conditional) and volas (wants — present). The conditional ending combines with se (if) clauses to produce the classical conditional sentence structures that appear throughout Esperanto literature, correspondence, and conversation.
Learning Objectives
- Form the conditional -us for any verb and use it in complete sentences
- Distinguish real conditionals (se + present → future) from unreal ones (se + -us → -us)
- Use -us for wishes, polite requests, and hypothetical reasoning
- Recognize and produce the key polite formulas: volus, ŝatus, povus, estus bone se
Vocabulary
| Esperanto | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| kondiĉo | condition | |
| hipotezo | hypothesis | |
| imagata | imagined | |
| realo | reality | |
| sonĝo | dream | |
| deziro | desire, wish | |
| bonvolu | please (polite imperative) | |
| peto | request | |
| permeso | permission | |
| se | if | conjunction for conditionals |
| alie | otherwise | |
| eĉ | even | |
| tamen | nevertheless | |
| ajn | ever/ever (with correlatives: kiu ajn) | |
| riĉa | rich | |
| malriĉa | poor | |
| feliĉa | happy | |
| kapabla | capable | |
| havi tempon | to have time | |
| vojaĝi | to travel | |
| helpi | to help | |
| proponi | to propose | |
| preferi | to prefer | |
| ŝati | to like | |
| voli | to want | distinguish: volas vs. volus |
Grammar Focus
1. Forming the Conditional: -us
Remove -i from the infinitive; add -us. This applies to every verb without exception:
| Infinitive | Conditional | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| esti | estus | would be |
| havi | havus | would have |
| iri | irus | would go |
| kanti | kantus | would sing |
| helpi | helpus | would help |
| voli | volus | would want |
| povi | povus | would be able |
| ŝati | ŝatus | would like |
| diri | dirus | would say |
| fari | farus | would do/make |
The conditional does not change for person or number — mi kantus, vi kantus, li kantus, ni kantus are all identical in form.
2. Real Conditionals: se + Present Tense → Future Tense
A real conditional describes a situation that is genuinely possible — the condition is something that could realistically occur, and if it does, the result will follow. In Esperanto, the pattern is:
se + [present tense] → [future tense]
Se vi studas, vi lernos. — If you study, you will learn. Se pluvas morgaŭ, ni restos hejme. — If it rains tomorrow, we will stay home. Se li alvenas frue, ni povos paroli. — If he arrives early, we will be able to talk.
The "if" clause can also use future tense:
Se vi venos, mi estos feliĉa. — If you come, I will be happy.
3. Unreal Conditionals: se + -us → -us
An unreal conditional describes a hypothetical situation that is contrary to current reality, or a future situation that is considered unlikely or imagined. Both clauses use -us:
Se mi estus riĉa, mi vojaĝus ĉiujare. — If I were rich, I would travel every year. (I am not rich) Se li havus pli da tempo, li helpus nin. — If he had more time, he would help us. (he doesn't) Se ŝi scivolus, ŝi demandus. — If she were curious, she would ask. (implied: she isn't asking, so she isn't curious)
Note: Esperanto does not distinguish present unreal from past unreal the way English does ("if I were" vs. "if I had been"). Context usually makes it clear; to specify past unreal, you can use the compound: se mi estus estinta tie (if I had been there).
4. Wishes with -us
The conditional is used to express wishes and desires that are not currently real:
Mi volus iri al la kino. — I would like to go to the cinema. (polite / tentative) Estus bone, se vi venus. — It would be good if you came. Mi dezirus scii pli pri tio. — I would like to know more about that. Ili ŝatus renkontiĝi kun vi. — They would like to meet with you.
A direct statement of wish often uses -u (imperative/volitional) rather than -us:
Mi volus ke vi venus. — I would like you to come. Mi deziras ke ĝi estu bona. — I want it to be good.
5. Polite Requests with -us
Using the conditional instead of the present tense softens requests significantly, just as "could you" is more polite than "can you" in English:
| Direct (less polite) | Conditional (polite) |
|---|---|
| Ĉu vi povas helpi? | Ĉu vi povus helpi? |
| Mi volas kafon. | Mi volus kafon. |
| Ĉu vi faras tion? | Ĉu vi farus tion? |
| Diru al mi... | Ĉu vi dirus al mi...? |
Ĉu vi povus fermi la pordon? — Could you close the door? Mi ŝatus rezervi tablon por du personoj. — I would like to book a table for two. Ĉu vi estus tiel afabla sidi kun ni? — Would you be so kind as to sit with us?
6. volus vs. volas — A Critical Distinction
Mi volas kafon. — I want coffee. (statement of current desire — real, present tense) Mi volus kafon. — I would like coffee. (polite, tentative, or hypothetical — conditional)
Li volas iri. — He wants to go. (he actually wants it) Li volus iri, sed li ne povas. — He would like to go, but he can't. (desire vs. possibility)
This distinction is important in both social (politeness) and grammatical (real vs. unreal) contexts.
Dialogue
Ana asks her colleague Beno for help with a project.
Ana: Beno, ĉu vi povus rigardi mian raporton? Mi ŝatus ricevi vian opinion. Beno: Kompreneble. Ĉu vi sendus ĝin al mi hodiaŭ? Ana: Jes, mi sendos ĝin en unu horon. Ĉu vi trovus tempon ĝis morgaŭ? Beno: Se mi ne havos tro da laboro hodiaŭ vespere, mi legos ĝin sen problemo. Ana: Dankon. Se vi havus sugestojn, mi tre ŝatus aŭdi ilin. Beno: Kompreneble. Cetere, se mi estus vi, mi aldonis pli da ekzemploj en la tria sekcio. Ana: Interesa ideo! Ĉu vi povus indiki kiujn ekzemplojn vi aldonus? Beno: Se mi havus tempon nun, mi montrus al vi, sed nun mi havas kunvenon. Ĉu ni povus paroli morgaŭ matenе? Ana: Perfekte. Mi estus tre dankema. Beno: Nenio. Se ĉiuj helpus unu la alian, la laboro estus pli facila por ĉiuj.
Practice
Exercise 1: Real or Unreal?
Classify each conditional and fill in the correct verb forms.
- Se vi ___ (veni) morgaŭ, ni ___ (paroli) pri tio. (real)
- Se mi ___ (esti) pli juna, mi ___ (lerni) muzikon. (unreal)
- Se ŝi ___ (studi) pli, ŝi ___ (ekzameni) bone. (real)
- Se la mondo ___ (esti) pli justa, malpli da homoj ___ (suferi). (unreal)
Answers:
- venos / parolos (real: present→future)
- estus / lernos → estus / lernus (unreal: -us/-us)
- studos/studas / ekzamenos/ekzamenos (real)
- estus / suferus (unreal)
Exercise 2: Make It Polite
Rewrite each sentence using the conditional to make it more polite.
- Mi volas vidi la ĉambron.
- Ĉu vi povas helpi min?
- Diru al mi la veron.
- Ni volas renkontiĝi je la kvara.
Answers:
- Mi volus vidi la ĉambron.
- Ĉu vi povus helpi min?
- Ĉu vi dirus al mi la veron?
- Ni ŝatus renkontiĝi je la kvara.
Exercise 3: Translate
- If I had more money, I would buy a new car.
- Could you open the window, please?
- She would like to study abroad next year.
- If it doesn't rain, we will go to the park.
- It would be wonderful if everyone spoke Esperanto.
Answers:
- Se mi havus pli da mono, mi aĉetus novan aŭton.
- Ĉu vi povus malfermi la fenestron, bonvolu?
- Ŝi ŝatus studi eksterlande la venontan jaron.
- Se ne pluvas, ni iros al la parko.
- Estus mirinda, se ĉiuj parolus Esperanton.
Cultural Note
The conditional mood in Esperanto appears prominently in the classic phrase associated with Zamenhof's philosophy: "Estu, kiu vi estas" (Be who you are) — though this uses the imperative. More relevant is Zamenhof's foundational hope: "Se ĉiuj homoj parolus la saman lingvon, la mondo estus pli paca" — If all people spoke the same language, the world would be more peaceful. This exact sentence structure — se + -us → -us — captures the original spirit of the Esperanto movement: not a certainty, but a genuine, deeply held aspiration. Reading Zamenhof's original writings and letters in Esperanto reveals a consistent and elegant use of the conditional to express both personal wishes and the collective hopes of the early Esperanto movement.