French grammar - Would have - Le conditionnel passé |
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The conditionnel passé is used to express what would have taken place in the past had some other action, event, or situation happened. For past hypotheticals the pattern is si + <plus-que-parfait> & <conditionnel passé>. -- An English example is something like 'I would have gone out had it not rained.' The conditionnel passé is also used to report unconfirmed or hypothetical news. -- This usage sounds affected, and it only really used by reporters and journalists. The conditionnel passé is formed by using the conditional of auxiliary verb (avoir or être) + a past participle. Le conditionnel passé follows the same rules of agreement as all complex tenses that use the past participle, such as le passé composé. |
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Je serais sorti s'il n'avait pas plu.
I would have gone out if it hadn't been raining. |
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Si j'avais su qu'il allait pleuvoir, j'aurais pris mon parapluie.
If I had known it was going to rain, I would have taken my umbrella. |
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J'aurais fini mes devoirs s'ils m'avaient laissé tranquille.
I would have finished my homework if they had left me alone. |
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Si j'avais su l'heure de son arrivée, je serais allé le chercher.
If I had known the time of his arrival, I would have gone to look for him. |
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Il l'aurait salué, mais il ne l'a pas vu.
He would have greeted him, but he didn't see him. |
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Si tu n'avais pas suivi notre conseil, qu'est-ce qui serait arrivé ?
If you (familiar) hadn't taken our advice, what would have happened? |
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Ils seraient restés en France s'ils avaient pu.
They would have stayed in France if they could. |
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Si tu n'avais pas réveillé les filles, elles auraient dormi jusqu'à midi.
If you (familiar) hadn't woken the girls, they would have slept until noon. |
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Juliette serait arrivée à l'heure, mais sa voiture était en panne.
Juliette would have arrived on time, but her car had broken down. |
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Elle se serait réveillée tôt, mais son réveil n'a pas marché.
She would have woken up early, but her alarm clock didn't work. |
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Même avec plus de temps, il n'aurait jamais fini la tâche.
Even with more time, he would never have finished the task. |
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Je n'aurais plus dansé parce que j'avais mal à tête.
I wouldn't have danced anymore because I had a headache. |
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J'aurais tellement aimé aller en Argentine !
I would have loved to go to Argentina so much! |
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Jacques aurait pu être un grand artiste.
Jacques could have been a great artist. |
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