Discours indirect : futur → conditionnel

This grammar rule acts like a logic puzzle. It all depends on the "reporting verb." This is the verb that introduces the quote, like dire (to say) or annoncer (to announce). If this verb is in the present tense, nothing changes. But if the reporting verb is in the past, like il a dit (he said), the future tense inside the quote must change. It slides back one step on the timeline. The futur simple becomes the conditionnel présent. In English, we call this the "future in the past." It is like a grammar traffic light. The past tense reporting verb is the red light that tells the future tense to stop and change its clothes. You are basically saying that at a past point in time, something was going to happen. It is a very common way to talk about intentions and plans that were made earlier.

1. 1To master this shift, you need to know how to build the conditionnel présent. It is actually a hybrid tense. It uses parts of two other tenses you might already know. Follow these three simple steps:
2. 2Start with the future stem. For most regular verbs, this is just the infinitive. For example, the stem for parler is parler-.
3. 3Identify the correct ending. We use the imparfait endings for this. These are: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
4. 4Glue them together. If you want to say "he would speak," you take parler- and add -ait to get parlerait.
5. 5Here is a quick cheat sheet for the endings:
6. 6Je + -ais (parlerais)
7. 7Tu + -ais (parlerais)
8. 8Il/Elle/On + -ait (parlerait)
9. 9Nous + -ions (parlerions)
10. 10Vous + -iez (parleriez)
11. 11Ils/Elles + -aient (parleraient)
12. 12It is like the body of the future and the tail of the past. Just remember: the stem always has that distinctive "R" sound from the future tense!

You will use this pattern in many real-world scenarios. Imagine you are in a job interview. The manager says, "We will call you on Monday." When you tell your parents, you say: "The manager said they would call me." That is le discours indirect. Use it when:

• Reporting a promise: "He said he would help me with my homework."
• Sharing travel plans: "They told me they would arrive at the airport at noon."
• Relaying a weather forecast: "The news said it would rain today."
• Ordering food for a friend: "She said she would have the steak."

It is essential for storytelling. If you are writing a story or telling a long anecdote, you will use this constantly. It keeps the timeline of your story consistent. Without it, your sentences would sound like a series of disconnected clips. It adds a layer of sophistication to your French that people will definitely notice.

Do not use this rule if your reporting verb is in the present tense. This is a very common trap! If the person is speaking right now, or if you are reporting it as a current fact, keep the future tense. For example: Il dit qu'il viendra (He says he will come). Here, dit is present tense, so viendra stays in the future. Also, do not use it if the statement is a universal truth that is still true. However, for most everyday conversations about what people said in the past, the shift is mandatory. Think of the reporting verb as the boss. If the boss is in the past, the rest of the sentence must follow orders and shift. If the boss is in the present, everyone stays in their original tense. Simple, right?

The most frequent mistake is forgetting the silent "s" at the end of the first-person singular. In the future tense, it is je parlerai (no "s"). In the conditional, it is je parlerais (with an "s"). They sound almost identical! In writing, that "s" is the only thing telling your reader you are using reported speech. Another mistake is using the imparfait instead of the conditionnel. Remember, the conditionnel must have that "R" from the future stem. Il a dit qu'il venait means "He said he was coming." Il a dit qu'il viendrait means "He said he would come." It is a small difference that changes the whole meaning. Don't let the irregular stems scare you either. Verbs like être (ser-) and avoir (aur-) use the same stems they use in the future tense. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they are tired, so don't be too hard on yourself!

It is helpful to compare the futur simple and the conditionnel présent side-by-side. They are like cousins. They share the same stem but wear different hats.

• Futur Simple: Je mangerai (I will eat). This is a direct statement about what will happen.
• Conditionnel: Je mangerais (I would eat). In reported speech, this is the "future in the past."

Think of the futur simple as a straight line pointing forward. Think of the conditionnel in reported speech as a line that starts in the past, looks forward, but stays anchored in the past. It is also different from the imparfait. The imparfait describes ongoing actions in the past. The conditionnel describes actions that were still "in the future" at that past moment. It is all about your perspective on the timeline. Once you see the logic, it clicks like a seatbelt.