If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the bus. If I had known, I would have come. Every day you replay choices in your head, and every story, history lesson and sports post-game is full of what if. These sentences describe a past that did not happen, and in French they follow a fixed pattern: si + plus-que-parfait in the condition, conditionnel passé in the result. Both tenses are compound, so you need the two auxiliaries in two different forms: Si j'avais su, je serais venu. This lesson builds that pattern, then shows how to mix time frames, because a past choice can change the present (If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor today) and a permanent trait can change a past event (If I weren't so shy, I would have talked to her yesterday).
| Si clause: plus-que-parfait | Main clause: conditionnel passé | English |
|---|---|---|
| Si j'étais allé à New York, | je serais allé voir une pièce de théâtre. | If I had gone to New York, I would have gone to see a play. |
| S'ils avaient pensé à faire le plein, | ils auraient encore pu parcourir des kilomètres en voiture. | If they had remembered to fill up, they could still have driven for kilometres. |
| Si tu m'avais prévenue, | je serais venue te chercher à la gare. | If you had warned me, I would have come to pick you up at the station. |
| Si nous étions partis plus tôt, | nous n'aurions pas manqué l'autobus. | If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the bus. |
Mixing the time frames
| Condition | Result | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| in the past | in the past | si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé | Si j'avais lu la consigne, j'aurais fini à temps. (If I had read the instructions, I would have finished on time.) |
| in the past | now | si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel présent | Si j'avais étudié la médecine, je serais médecin aujourd'hui. (If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor today.) |
| always true / now | in the past | si + imparfait → conditionnel passé | Si je n'étais pas si timide, je lui aurais parlé hier. (If I weren't so shy, I would have talked to her yesterday.) |
| always true / now | now | si + imparfait → conditionnel présent | Si j'habitais plus près, je viendrais à pied. (If I lived closer, I would walk here.) |
Imagining the past without si
- Sans + noun: Sans ton aide, j'aurais abandonné. — Without your help, I would have given up.
- Avec + noun: Avec un peu plus de chance, nous aurions gagné. — With a bit more luck, we would have won.
- À ta place / à votre place: À ta place, j'aurais refusé. — In your place (if I had been you), I would have refused.
- Asking for advice after the fact: Qu'est-ce que tu aurais fait à ma place ? — What would you have done in my place?
- Moi, j'aurais… to offer your own choice: Moi, j'aurais pris le train. — Me, I would have taken the train.
A road-trip story
La fin de semaine dernière, mes cousins sont partis de Toronto pour aller camper près de Sudbury. Ils étaient tellement pressés qu'ils n'ont pas regardé la jauge d'essence. Après trois heures de route, la voiture s'est arrêtée au milieu de nulle part. S'ils avaient pensé à faire le plein, ils auraient encore pu parcourir des kilomètres. S'ils avaient chargé leurs téléphones, ils auraient appelé une dépanneuse tout de suite. Heureusement, une agricultrice s'est arrêtée pour les aider. Sans elle, ils auraient passé la nuit sur le bord de la route ! Aujourd'hui, ils en rient : si cette panne n'avait pas eu lieu, ils n'auraient rien d'aussi drôle à raconter.
Translation: Last weekend, my cousins left Toronto to go camping near Sudbury. They were in such a hurry that they didn't look at the gas gauge. After three hours on the road, the car stopped in the middle of nowhere. If they had remembered to fill up, they could still have driven for kilometres. If they had charged their phones, they would have called a tow truck right away. Luckily, a farmer stopped to help them. Without her, they would have spent the night on the side of the road! Today they laugh about it: if that breakdown hadn't happened, they wouldn't have anything this funny to tell. The real events use the passé composé and imparfait. Each what if uses si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé, and Sans elle replaces a whole si clause. The last sentence is mixed: a past condition (n'avait pas eu lieu) with a present result (n'auraient rien), because the good story exists now. La fin de semaine is the usual Canadian word; in France you would hear le week-end.