Conditionnel passé
A past regret or a past hypothesis: the conditional of avoir or être, plus the past form (the participle). After the si of a condition (if), use the plus-que-parfait, never the conditional.
Examples
- Si j'avais su, je serais venu.If I had known, I would have come.
- Elle serait partie.She would have left.
How it works
The present conditional (je voyagerais) imagines the present. This one imagines the past, or regrets it.
The form
aurais / serais (the conditional of the helper verb, the auxiliary) plus the past form (the participle).
j'aurais mangé, tu aurais parlé, il aurait fini
je serais allé, elle serait partie
être or avoir is the same choice as in the passé composé. Agreement is the same too: Elle serait partie. Les lettres qu'elle aurait écrites.
Si plus the plus-que-parfait
Si j'avais su, je serais venu. If I had known, I would have come.
The si-clause is the plus-que-parfait. The main clause is this conditional.
Never Si j'aurais su. The conditional does not follow the si of a condition (if). That rule is the same one as in the present si-lesson.
The si of reported speech (whether) is different: Elle a demandé si je viendrais is correct.
Not the present conditional
A past regret is not je venais or je viendrais.
Si j'avais su, je serais venu. Not Si j'avais su, je viendrais (that would be about now, not about that past moment).
Common mistakes
Si j'aurais suSi j'avais su
Si j'avais su, je viendraisje serais venu
Elle aurait partieElle serait partie
What you'll practise
1. aurais or serais + participle
The conditional of the helper verb (the auxiliary) plus the past form (the participle). être or avoir follows the passé composé.
- J'aurais mangé.I would have eaten.
2. si + plus-que-parfait
A past if-clause is the plus-que-parfait. The result is the past conditional. The conditional never follows si.
- Si j'avais su, je serais venu.If I had known, I would have come.
3. The two traps
Not Si j'aurais su. Not a present conditional (je viendrais) for a past regret.
- Elle serait partie.She would have left.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.