À PROPOS DES VALEURS MODALES DU CONDITIONNEL EN FRANÇAIS

Abstract

Besides the time value (future in the past), the conditional also expresses many modal values. It is rich in interpretation and raises a lot of discussions about its classification. First, the author of the article relied on the functions prescribed by the linguists (Guillaume, Martinet, and Haillet, just to name a few) and the grammarians (such as Grevisse and Delatour), to identify the common semantic contributions of the conditional to the meaning of the verb on the modal level. As a result, he expresses his own perspective on the modal values of the conditional and suggests three main modal values: attenuation – which is conditioned by the use of a few so-called modal verbs, imagination – which projects the fact into the sphere of hypothesis, and eventuality – which expresses the speaker's uncertainty about his statement. The result of the research contributes to the mastery of the conditional, crucial for the better expression of French and for future research in language.