Lesson 29 of 40 · win the Politeness Pro badge
Vorrei un gelato gigante — il condizionale
The condizionale presente
You've walked into the poshest gelateria in Italy. Yelling 'I WANT GELATO' won't work here — time to upgrade to vorrei.
🎯 By the end you can…
- Make polite requests with vorrei and potrebbe
- Say what you would do in a hypothetical situation
- Give gentle advice with dovresti
🎬 Listen to the scene
Tap a line to hear it, then say it back louder than Luna barks.
Excuse me, could you bring me the bill?
Of course! Would you also like a coffee?
Yes, thanks. Luna, you should stop barking at the waiter.
She'd just like a biscuit, I think.
🔑 Condizionale presente — regular endings
| parlare | avere | dormire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerei | avrei | dormirei |
| tu | parleresti | avresti | dormiresti |
| lui/lei | parlerebbe | avrebbe | dormirebbe |
| noi | parleremmo | avremmo | dormiremmo |
| voi | parlereste | avreste | dormireste |
| loro | parlerebbero | avrebbero | dormirebbero |
Adam's tip: Same irregular stems as the future: sarei, avrei, andrei, farei, vorrei, potrei, dovrei.
🧩 Everyday uses
- Polite requests: Vorrei un tè, per favore.
- Advice: Dovresti dormire di più.
- Hypothetical: Mi piacerebbe visitare Roma.
🤯 Wow fact
Vorrei is basically the magic word of Italy — say it in any shop and grown-ups instantly think you're well brought up.
🗣️ Say it fast, say it silly
Vorrei, potresti, dovremmo, sarebbe bello!
Three times in a row without tripping = you win.
🧠 Puzzle time
Answer in your head first, then tap to check. 0 of 6 checked
Put the verb in the conditional.
Make it more polite.
😂 Barzelletta — Luna's joke
Cosa direbbe Luna in un ristorante elegante?
🚀 Your mission today
Practise ordering three things politely using vorrei, and give one piece of advice using dovresti.
🎲 Play it with someone
The politeness upgrade
Give students blunt sentences («Dammi l'acqua!») and have them rewrite them politely with the conditional («Mi daresti l'acqua, per favore?»).
Dear Luna, advice column
In pairs, write three pieces of advice for a naughty dog using dovresti/non dovresti.
For teachers & grown-ups
Fun way to drill dovresti before moving to real-life advice about school or friends.
🧪 End-of-lesson quiz
Eight quick questions. Get 6 right to win the Politeness Pro badge.
This lesson belongs to Unit 11 — Tomorrow and maybe. Pass every quiz in the unit — and know 1600 words — to be promoted to the next level.
💪 Keep the streak going
- Quiz, Set 35 — polite phrases
- Practise ordering politely at an imaginary restaurant with a family member
Word sets for this lesson
