Mission: give a friend advice
The conditionnel présent for advice, with tu devrais, à ta place je… and il vaudrait mieux. Say what someone should do without sounding bossy.
FrenchB1 · Hypotheses and plansAbout 7 min: 3 reading, 4 practiceUpdated
- Build the conditionnel présent (future stem + imparfait endings)
- Use the irregular stems (ser-, aur-, ir-, fer-, pourr-, devr-, voudr-)
- Give advice with tu devrais, tu pourrais and à ta place, je…
- Use ce serait mieux de and il vaudrait mieux + infinitive
- Switch to vous devriez when the person is not a friend
Hypotheses and plans: lesson 1 of 4
- B1 · Hypotheses and plans
- Mission: give a friend advice 7 min
- Mission: imagine winning the lottery 6 min
- Mission: describe how you do things 7 min
- Mission: talk about your ambitions at a job interview 6 min
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Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: advising a friend who is tired and stressed.
What it is
Your mission: your friend Camille has been working late for weeks. She is tired, she gets headaches, and she says, « Je ne sais plus quoi faire. » Give her at least three pieces of friendly advice, without ordering her around.
At A2 you met the conditionnel in polite requests (je voudrais). At B1 you use it to advise: you should, you could, if I were you, I would…
How to build it: future stem + imparfait endings.
| Person | Ending | Example (prendre) |
|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | je prendrais |
| tu | -ais | tu prendrais |
| il / elle / on | -ait | il prendrait |
| nous | -ions | nous prendrions |
| vous | -iez | vous prendriez |
| ils / elles | -aient | elles prendraient |
The stem is the same as in the futur simple. Regular verbs use the infinitive (aimer → j'aimerais; prendre drops its e: prendr-). The irregular stems are the ones you already know:
| Verb | Stem | Je form |
|---|---|---|
| être | ser- | je serais |
| avoir | aur- | j'aurais |
| aller | ir- | j'irais |
| faire | fer- | je ferais |
| pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrais |
| devoir | devr- | je devrais |
| vouloir | voudr- | je voudrais |
| savoir | saur- | je saurais |
Ways to give advice:
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| tu devrais + infinitive | Tu devrais dormir plus. |
| tu pourrais + infinitive | Tu pourrais en parler à ton chef. |
| à ta place, je + conditional | À ta place, je prendrais un jour de congé. |
| ce serait mieux de + infinitive | Ce serait mieux de partir tôt. |
| il vaudrait mieux + infinitive | Il vaudrait mieux te reposer. |
With someone you address as vous, use vous devriez, vous pourriez, à votre place, je….
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Advise a friend (tu): "You should see a doctor."
- That is the futur simple: "you will have to", not advice
- That is the imparfait: "you used to have to"
Show answer
Tu devrais voir un médecin.. devoir in the conditional (tu devrais) + infinitive means "you should".
Why it matters
Advice that is too direct (Dors plus !, Tu dois partir) can sound like an order. The conditional makes it a suggestion the other person can accept or refuse. You will use it with friends, colleagues and family all the time, and it is one of the most useful B1 tools in conversation and in writing a reply to a friend's problem.
Worked example
At a café after work:
- Camille: Je suis épuisée. J'ai mal à la tête tous les soirs.
- You: À ta place, je prendrais quelques jours de congé.
- Camille: Je n'ai pas le temps, j'ai trop de travail.
- You: Tu pourrais en parler à ta cheffe. Et tu devrais aussi te coucher plus tôt.
- Camille: Peut-être, oui.
- You: Il vaudrait mieux ne pas attendre trop longtemps. Ce serait mieux de te reposer maintenant que d'être malade.
- Camille: Tu as raison. Merci, ça m'aide.
Real French: À ta place, je… and Si j'étais toi, je… are the everyday ways to give advice among friends. Je te conseille de + infinitive is another natural one: Je te conseille de dormir.
Common mistake
Adding de after devrais or pourrais: wrong: tu devrais de dormir. After devoir and pouvoir the infinitive follows directly: tu devrais dormir. Ce serait mieux and je te conseille take de: ce serait mieux de dormir, je te conseille de dormir. Il vaudrait mieux takes the infinitive directly, like devrais: il vaudrait mieux dormir.
More detail: why not just tu dois?
Tu dois dormir (present) is a strong statement: "you have to sleep". Tu devrais dormir is softer: "you ought to / you should". Between friends the present can sound bossy; at work it can sound rude.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Which sentence is correct?
- devoir takes the infinitive directly, with no de
- Only one verb is conjugated; the second stays in the infinitive
Show answer
Tu devrais dormir plus.. tu devrais + infinitive, no de.
Key terms
- le conditionnel présent
- the "would" form: future stem + imparfait endings
- tu devrais
- you should
- tu pourrais
- you could
- à ta place, je…
- if I were you, I would…
- ce serait mieux de…
- it would be better to…
- il vaudrait mieux…
- it would be better to… (valoir)
- je te conseille de…
- I advise you to…
- épuisé(e)
- exhausted
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| le conditionnel présent | the "would" form: future stem + imparfait endings |
| tu devrais | you should |
| tu pourrais | you could |
| à ta place, je… | if I were you, I would… |
| ce serait mieux de… | it would be better to… |
| il vaudrait mieux… | it would be better to… (valoir) |
| je te conseille de… | I advise you to… |
| épuisé(e) | exhausted |
Practice
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| être | je serais |
| avoir | j'aurais |
| aller | j'irais |
| faire | je ferais |
| pouvoir | je pourrais |
| devoir | je devrais |
| savoir | je saurais |
| vouloir | je voudrais |
Sort it
Does the infinitive come directly, or after de?
Tu devrais ... dormir
devoir + infinitiveShow answer
Directly. devoir + infinitive
Tu pourrais ... en parler
pouvoir + infinitiveShow answer
Directly. pouvoir + infinitive
Il vaudrait mieux ... attendre
il vaudrait mieux + infinitiveShow answer
Directly. il vaudrait mieux + infinitive
Ce serait mieux ... partir tôt
ce serait mieux de + infinitiveShow answer
After de. ce serait mieux de + infinitive
Je te conseille ... sortir
conseiller à quelqu'un deShow answer
After de. conseiller à quelqu'un de
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
To your colleague Mme Girard (vous): "You should tell your manager."
- tu is wrong for a colleague you address as vous
- After devoir the verb is an infinitive (parler), not parlez
Show answer
Vous devriez en parler à votre responsable.. vous devriez + infinitive, with votre.
"If I were you, I would go to bed early."
- j'allais is the imparfait: "I used to go"
- That says "I am going to bed early", not advice
Show answer
À ta place, j'irais me coucher tôt.. aller has the irregular stem ir-: j'irais.
Build the sentence
Build "If I were you, I would take a day off." Start with the first words of the sentence.
Show answer
À ta place, je prendrais un jour de congé.. à ta place, je + conditional.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Camille, my friend: you are tired, you work too late and you get headaches. Speak naturally but clearly, at level B1, using tu. Start with « Salut ! Je suis épuisée en ce moment… ». Explain your problem one piece at a time and ask « Qu'est-ce que tu ferais, toi ? ». Ask one question at a time. After each of my pieces of advice, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch the conditional endings, the irregular stems and the absence of de after tu devrais. When I have given you three different pieces of advice, using at least three of these: tu devrais, tu pourrais, à ta place je…, ce serait mieux de…, il vaudrait mieux…, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
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In short
- The conditionnel présent = future stem + imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).
- Irregular stems match the futur simple: ser-, aur-, ir-, fer-, pourr-, devr-, voudr-.
- Advice: tu devrais, tu pourrais, à ta place je…, ce serait mieux de…, il vaudrait mieux….
- No de after devrais / pourrais; de after ce serait mieux.
- With vous: vous devriez, à votre place.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Give a friend advice: "You could call her."
Show answer
Tu pourrais l'appeler.
What is the conditional stem of aller and of faire?
Show answer
ir- (j'irais) and fer- (je ferais).
Complete: « Ce serait mieux … partir tôt. »
Show answer
de (ce serait mieux de partir tôt).
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: free exercises on real clips.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.