Would, Could and Should

“Would, Could, and Should” are modal verbs, which are used to express necessity, possibility, permission, or obligation.
In French, “would” is often expressed with the phrase “voudrait,” which is the conditional of “vouloir” (to want). For example, “Je voudrais un café” means “I would like a coffee.”
The verb “could” is typically translated as “pourrait,” which is the conditional of “pouvoir” (to be able to). For instance, “Il pourrait venir” translates to “He could come.”
“Should” is conveyed by “devrait,” the conditional form of “devoir” (to have to). For example, “Tu devrais étudier” means “You should study.”
Remember to conjugate these verbs correctly based on the subject. The endings for verbs in the conditional tense are -rais, -rais, -rait, -rions, -riez, -raient.
Proper use of these terms can greatly augment your language skills and give your French speech more nuance and depth.
Practice incorporating these verbs into sentences to better understand their use.
Do plenty of exercises on these verbs in different tenses and contexts to become comfortable with their usage.
Keep in mind that while the conditional mood is commonly used to express “would,” “could,” and “should,” other moods and tenses may be used as well.
When it comes to negation, the “ne … pas” structure wraps around the verbs. For example, “Elle ne voudrait pas aller” translates as “She would not want to go.”
Be careful with translating directly from English to French, as the use of these verbs can sometimes be different. For example, in English, you might say “I could swim” to mean “I was able to swim” but the French would typically use the past indefinite: “Je pus nager.”
Consider potential irregular verbs and their conjugations, such as “aller” (to go), which becomes “irais” in its conditional form.
Have a good understanding of these verbs and their usages before attempting to use them in conversations or writing tasks. This will ensure that you are using them correctly and within the appropriate context.