Si Clauses - French If-Then Clauses

Impossible/Hypothetical Situations

The pluperfect - conditional perfect construction is used to express a hypothetical situation that is contrary to past fact (the third conditional). The pluperfect follows si; it is the event that would have had to be different in order for the other event (conditional perfect) to have been possible.

Si j'avais eu le temps, je l'aurais fait - If I had had time, I would have done it.
Je l'aurais fait si j'avais eu le temps - I would have done it if I had had time.
(Fact: I didn't have time so I didn't do it)

Si tu avais étudié, tu aurais été intelligent - If you had studied, you would have been smart.
Tu aurais été intelligent si tu avais étudié - You would have been smart if you had studied.
(Fact: You didn't study so you weren't smart)

Si elle vous avait vu, elle vous aurait aidé - If she had seen you, she would have helped you.
Elle vous aurait aidé si elle vous avait vu - She would have helped you if she had seen you.
(Fact: She didn't see you so she didn't help you)

In literary or other very formal writing, both verbs in the pluperfect - conditional perfect construction are replaced by the conditional perfect, second form.

Si j'eusse eu le temps, je l'eusse fait.
Si vous eussiez étudié, vous eussiez été intelligent.
Si elle vous eût vu, elle vous eût aidé.

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Related lessons:    Verb tenses     Concordance des temps     All About Si