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Course: French English Spanish Greek
Explanations in: Greek English Spanish French
B2

The past conditional: regrets, reproaches and unconfirmed facts

j'aurais dû (I should have), tu aurais pu (you could have), and the «future in the past».

Auxiliary in the present conditional + past participle: j'aurais fait, elle serait venue.

Regrets and reproaches

FrenchEnglish
J'aurais dû partir plus tôt.I should have left earlier.
Tu aurais pu me prévenir !You could have warned me!
J'aurais aimé te voir.I would have liked to see you.
Il aurait fallu réserver.We should have booked.

Unconfirmed information

In journalism, the conditional shows that information hasn't been confirmed, like English «reportedly» or «allegedly»:

  • Le suspect aurait quitté le pays.
    The suspect has reportedly left the country.
  • L'accident aurait fait trois victimes.
    The accident is said to have left three dead.

The future in the past

When narrating in the past, the future becomes the present conditional and the future perfect becomes the past conditional, just like English will → would:

  • Il a promis qu'il viendrait.
    He promised he would come.
  • Elle pensait qu'elle aurait fini avant midi.
    She thought she would have finished before noon.
  • Je savais qu'il allait pleuvoir.
    I knew it was going to rain.

Test yourself

  1. Translate: «You should have listened to me.»
    Show answer
    Tu aurais dû m'écouter.
  2. Translate: «We could have won.»
    Show answer
    Nous aurions pu gagner.
  3. Rewrite as unconfirmed news: Le ministre a démissionné.
    Show answer
    Le ministre aurait démissionné.
  4. Put into the past: Il dit qu'il aura fini à 18 h.
    Show answer
    Il a dit qu'il aurait fini à 18 h.