We already have talked about [object Promise] of forming and using the conditional mood. Let's dive deeper and learn more about the past conditional and forming of the conditional sentences.
Conditionnel Passé
Rule 1: The conditionnel passé is used to express an unfulfilled possibility. It can also be present in the main clause of an unreal conditional sentence in the past tense.
It corresponds to the English structure "would have" + past participle.
Rule 2: The conditionnel passé is formed by using the conditional form of avoir or être together with the past participle of the verb.
The usage of avoir and être, as well as the agreement of the past participle, are identical to the [object Promise].
Forming the Conditional Sentences
Rule 3: Conditional sentences are used if something happens under a certain condition. The clause with si (when, if) expresses the condition and the main clause expresses the consequences.
The way we form these sentence depends on the probability and the tense.
- Real conditional sentence (something is probable):
- Si-sentence in the present + main clause in futur simple or present tense
- Unreal conditional sentence (something is unlikely):
- Si-sentence in the imparfait + main clause in conditionnel presént
- Unreal conditional sentence in the past (something is unfulfilled or impossible):
- Si-sentence in the plus-que-parfait + main clause in conditionnel passé
Quiz
1/3Translate: If you had come, you would have enjoyed the party.