Prenait vs. prendrait

Irene H.C1Kwiziq community member

Prenait vs. prendrait

Why doesn't, "She would wear it all the time" not translate to "Elle le prendrait tout le temps"? 'Would wear' is the conditional tense, no? Thank you.
Asked 3 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

"Would" is not always indicative of the conditional, just like in English. Take this example: "I love me childhood, because I would play games with my father all the time." This usage of "would" denotes a period of activity not a conditional.

"I would play with my father if I were here." In this example, "would" is used conditionally, because it denotes a possibility, not a period of time.

In the French text, "would" is used in the former context and emphasizes the length of time, which is best captured in the French imperfect tense.

Irene H. asked:

Prenait vs. prendrait

Why doesn't, "She would wear it all the time" not translate to "Elle le prendrait tout le temps"? 'Would wear' is the conditional tense, no? Thank you.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Getting that for you now...