Please, could someone clarify the rule regarding the following:
Shouldn't "If you could" be translated with the conditional "vous pourriez"? The grammar lesson following this phrase recommends the conditional not the imparfait.
Thanks!
Kalpana
Please, could someone clarify the rule regarding the following:
Shouldn't "If you could" be translated with the conditional "vous pourriez"? The grammar lesson following this phrase recommends the conditional not the imparfait.
Thanks!
Kalpana
Kalpana,
the conditional mood is never used in the ‘ si ‘ clause in a conditional statement. The conditional mood is used in the ‘ other ‘ clause when required in conditional statements. ‘ Si vous pouviez ‘ as used here is correct. ‘ Si vous pourriez..’ is incorrect.
Coincidentally, the quote below is a current question from a discussion topic in a French oral practice group I attend ( bolding added by me )
“ Si vous pouviez voyager dans le temps, à quelle époque aimeriez-vous vivre ? “.
See also the lesson linked below :
Note that to express hypotheses in French, you'll use L'Imparfait after si, and Le Conditionnel Présent in the other part of the sentence.
Also, there are two ways to order the clauses:
- Si clause [+ L'Imparfait] + clause in Le Conditionnel
or
- Clause in Le Conditionnel + si clause [+ L'Imparfait]
Using "si" + L'Imparfait in hypothetical sentences with Le Conditionnel Présent
It is also worth having a look at the series of lessons on Laura’s site
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/si-clauses-conditionals/
Great info from Maarten.
This is a frequent point of confusion going from English to French because "could" is both conditional AND imperfect in English. You can disambiguate this by substituting "to be able to" instead of "can". Note that sometimes the English isn't quite how one would say this, but it only serves to help you see the difference:
Yesterday I couldn't call you. -> Yesterday I was not able to call you. (imperfect)
I could call you tomorrow. --> I would be able to call you tomorrow. (conditional)
Isn't it in fact that the sentence is not completed but the other pat would be in the conditionel:( Je serais ravie)si vous pouviez venir, si vous pouviez le faire. etc..
Imagining a context and finishing the sentence helps guess that it needs the conditionel once we know that the onditionel iis always in the other part of the sentence, responding to the si clause. NO?
Isabelle,
Agree.
It was not fully quoted above but the sentence to be translated in the text is ‘ complete ‘ :
‘ If you could call a heating engineer, that would be fantastic. ‘
There are limited uses for conditional mood in a clause following ‘ si ‘, well covered in the series of articles on Laura Lawless site.
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/conditional-mood/
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/imperfect/
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