In dependent clauses, the conditional appears in a variety of subordinate constructions, where it expresses relative futurity from a past perspective, hypothetical consequences, indirect speech, and various logical relationships such as cause, consequence, adversity, and comparison. Mastering these uses is essential for advanced Italian prose and complex sentence construction.
Tense correlation in dependent clauses
When the main clause is in a past tense, the dependent clause uses the compound conditional to express an action that was future from that past perspective or a hypothetical past action.
| Main clause tense | Dependent clause conditional | Example |
| Present/Future | Present conditional | Penso che verrebbe (I think he would come) |
| Past (imperfect, passato prossimo, passato remoto) | Compound conditional | Pensavo che sarebbe venuto (I thought he was coming) |
1. Objective clauses (proposizioni oggettive)
In objective clauses, dependent clauses that function as the direct object of a main verb, the conditional appears after main verbs expressing opinion, belief, certainty, declaration, or hope when the action of the dependent clause is future relative to the main clause.
- Present Conditional after Present/Future Main Clause
- Penso che sarebbe meglio aspettare. (I think that it would be better to wait.)
- Credo che verrebbero volentieri. (I believe that they would gladly come.)
- Spero che non sarebbe un problema. (I hope that it wouldn’t be a problem.)
- Sono sicuro che accetterebbe. (I am sure that he would accept.)
- Compound Conditional after Past Main Clause
- Pensavo che saresti stato felice. (I thought that you would have been happy.)
- Credevo che avremmo vinto la partita. (I believed that we would have won the match.)
- Speravo che sarebbero arrivati in tempo. (I hoped that they would have arrived on time.)
- Mi ha promesso che sarebbe tornato. (He promised me that he would return.)
Note: In these constructions, the compound conditional corresponds to the English “would have done” or simply “would do” when the reference is past.
2. Indirect questions (interrogative indirette)
- Present Conditional after Present/Future Main Clause
- Non so se sarebbe meglio partire ora. (I don’t know if it would be better to leave now.)
- Mi chiedo cosa direbbe in questa situazione. (I wonder what he would say in this situation.)
- Chiedile come reagirebbe. (Ask her how she would react.)
- Compound Conditional after Past Main Clause
- Non sapevo se sarebbe stato d’accordo. (I didn’t know if he would have agreed.)
- Mi chiesi cosa avrebbe detto. (I asked myself what he would have said.)
- Volevo sapere dove sarebbero andati in vacanza. (I wanted to know where they would go on vacation.)
- Chiesi quando sarebbe iniziato lo spettacolo. (I asked when the show would begin.)
With se (whether/if):
- Dubitavo se avrebbe mai capito. (I doubted whether he would ever understand.)
- Non ero sicuro se saremmo arrivati in tempo. (I wasn’t sure if we would arrive on time.)
3. Causal clauses (proposizioni causali)
In causal clauses introduced by perché, poiché, giacché, or dato che, the conditional appears to express a hypothetical or potential cause, a reason that would produce an effect.
- Present Conditional for Hypothetical Present/Future Cause
- Non lo dico, perché sarebbe uno spreco di tempo. (I don’t say it, because it would be a waste of time.)
- Non intervengo, poiché farei peggio. (I don’t intervene, since I would make things worse.)
- Compound Conditional for Hypothetical Past Cause
- Non ho detto nulla, perché avrei solo peggiorato le cose. (I said nothing, because I would have only made things worse.)
- Non siamo usciti, poiché sarebbe stato troppo pericoloso. (We didn’t go out, since it would have been too dangerous.)
- Ha rinunciato, giacché avrebbe dovuto mentire. (He gave up, since he would have had to lie.)
4. Consecutive clauses (proposizioni consecutive)
In consecutive clauses, which express the result or consequence of a situation described in the main clause, the conditional indicates a hypothetical or potential consequence.
- Present Conditional for Present/Future Consequence
- È così arrabbiato che griderebbe. (He is so angry that he would shout.)
- La situazione è talmente grave che interverrebbe l’esercito. (The situation is so serious that the army would intervene.)
- Compound Conditional for Past Consequence
- Era così arrabbiato che avrebbe urlato. (He was so angry that he would have shouted.)
- Faceva così caldo che sarebbero morti tutti. (It was so hot that everyone would have died.)
- Il rumore era talmente assordante che avrebbe svegliato i morti. (The noise was so deafening that it would have woken the dead.)
5. Adversative clauses (proposizioni avversative)
In adversative clauses, which express a contrast or opposition to the main clause, the conditional indicates a hypothetical contrary action.
- Present Conditional for Present/Future Contrast
- Tu scegli di partire, mentre io rimarrei. (You choose to leave, whereas I would stay.)
- Maria compra subito, mentre io aspetterei. (Maria buys immediately, whereas I would wait.)
- Compound Conditional for Past Contrast
- Tu hai scelto di partire, mentre io sarei rimasto. (You chose to leave, whereas I would have stayed.)
- Loro hanno taciuto, laddove noi avremmo parlato. (They remained silent, whereas we would have spoken.)
- Ha detto di sì subito, mentre chiunque altro avrebbe esitato. (He said yes immediately, whereas anyone else would have hesitated.)
6. Comparative Clauses (Proposizioni Comparative)
In comparative clauses, which express a comparison between two actions or situations, the conditional appears in the second term of comparison when it refers to a hypothetical action.
- Present Conditional for Present/Future Comparison
- Agisce come se nessuno si accorgerebbe. (He acts as if no one would notice.)
- Meglio tacere piuttosto che direi una bugia. (Better to remain silent rather than tell a lie.)
- Compound Conditional for Past Comparison
- Ha agito come se nessuno avrebbe protestato. (He acted as if no one would have protested.)
- Ha continuato a parlare come se non ci sarebbero state ripercussioni. (He continued speaking as if there would have been no repercussions.)
7. Relative clauses (proposizioni relative)
- Present Conditional for Hypothetical Present/Future
- Conosco una persona che sarebbe disposta ad aiutarti. (I know a person who would be willing to help you.)
- Cerco un libro che mi darebbe le risposte. (I’m looking for a book that would give me the answers.)
- Compound Conditional for Hypothetical Past
- Ho incontrato l’uomo che avrebbe cambiato la mia vita. (I met the man who would have changed my life.)
- Quella fu la decisione che avrebbe portato al disastro. (That was the decision that would have led to disaster.)
- Cercavo qualcuno che mi avrebbe ascoltato. (I was looking for someone who would have listened to me.)
8. Incidental clauses (proposizioni incidentali)
In incidental clauses, parenthetical remarks inserted into a sentence, the conditional expresses the speaker’s opinion, doubt, or hypothetical evaluation of the main clause content.
- Present Conditional for Present/Future Evaluation
- La decisione, secondo gli esperti, sarebbe sbagliata. (The decision, according to the experts, would be wrong.)
- Il candidato, a parere di tutti, vincerebbe facilmente. (The candidate, in everyone’s opinion, would win easily.)
- Compound Conditional for Past Evaluation
- La riunione, secondo quanto si dice, sarebbe stata un disastro. (The meeting, according to what is said, would have been a disaster.)
- Il candidato, a parere degli esperti, avrebbe vinto facilmente. (The candidate, in the experts’ opinion, would have won easily.)
- La notizia, stando alle voci, sarebbe stata falsa. (The news, according to rumors, would have been false.)