Mission: imagine how your life could have gone
Past hypotheses. Say what would have happened if things had been different, and what would be different today.
FrenchB2 · Regrets and what-ifsAbout 8 min: 3 reading, 5 practiceUpdated
- Form si + plus-que-parfait with the past conditional
- Mix a past condition with a present result
- Never use the conditional in an if-clause
- Use "Si j'avais su !" as an exclamation
- Reverse the order of the two clauses
Regrets and what-ifs: lesson 2 of 4
- B2 · Regrets and what-ifs
- Mission: talk about a decision you regret 8 min
- Mission: imagine how your life could have gone 8 min
- Mission: thank and reassure a friend after an event 8 min
- Mission: plan a project with deadlines 8 min
Try first
You haven't learned this yet, so guess. Guessing before you read helps the explanation stick. Nothing here is scored.
Already know this? Take a 3-question check and skip ahead.
Get all three right and the lesson is marked done.
Level Level B2 (around the DELF B2 exam). Real French: chatting with a friend about the road not taken.
What it is
Your mission: your friend Chloé asks, « Et si tu avais accepté ce poste à Montréal ? » Imagine your life: say what you would have done (past result), what your life would be like today (present result), and complain about one thing you didn't know (si j'avais su…). Use tu.
For an unreal past (something that did not happen), French pairs two tenses you already know:
| si clause | Result clause | Example |
|---|---|---|
| plus-que-parfait | past conditional | Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu. |
| plus-que-parfait | present conditional (mixed) | Si j'avais accepté ce poste, je vivrais à Montréal aujourd'hui. |
The first is the classic pair: past condition, past result. The second is the mixed hypothesis: the condition lies in the past, but its result still shows today (aujourd'hui, maintenant).
Never a conditional after si in an if-clause. The pattern is si + plus-que-parfait, never wrong: si j'aurais su. The conditional belongs in the result clause only.
The two clauses can swap places, with no comma: je ne serais pas venu si j'avais su. And si + il becomes s'il: s'il avait su.
« Si j'avais su ! » stands alone as an exclamation of regret: "If only I'd known!" (Si seulement j'avais su ! adds a sigh.)
More detail: where each pair fits in the family of si-sentences
Real, possible: si + présent → futur (si tu viens, je serai content). Imagined, now: si + imparfait → conditionnel présent (si j'avais le temps, je viendrais). Imagined, past: si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé. The mixed pair borrows the plus-que-parfait for the cause and the present conditional for the effect.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Si tu m'… prévenu, je serais venu. » (avoir)
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- Passé composé: that would be a real condition, and it does not match "serais venu"
Show answer
avais. si + plus-que-parfait; tu avais prévenu.
Why it matters
"What if…?" is a favourite topic when friends talk about jobs, moves and choices, and arguments (si tu m'avais écouté…). At B2 you can build the full past hypothesis in one go, and the mixed type lets you link a past choice to your life today. The same structures serve in the DELF B2 writing paper (one text of at least 250 words).
Worked example
Chloé and you, on a terrace:
- Chloé: Et si tu avais accepté ce poste à Montréal ?
- You: Ah ! Si j'avais accepté, je vivrais à Montréal aujourd'hui. J'aurais appris l'anglais plus vite, aussi.
- Chloé: Et tu serais content ?
- You: Pas sûr. Si j'avais su que Paris me plairait autant, je n'aurais jamais hésité. Mais si j'étais parti, je n'aurais pas rencontré Samir.
- Chloé: Ah, si j'avais su ! C'était donc ça, ton secret !
- You: Voilà. Je serais resté célibataire !
Real French: si j'avais su often drops its second half in speech: « Si j'avais su ! », « Ah, si j'avais su… ». Everyone understands the rest.
Common mistake
Putting the conditional after si: wrong: Si j'aurais su, je ne serais pas venu. It belongs in the result clause: si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu.
And the imparfait for a past hypothesis: wrong: si je savais, je ne serais pas venu. Use the plus-que-parfait: si j'avais su.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have come." Which is right?
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- Imparfait gives a present hypothesis, and clashes with "serais venu"
Show answer
Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu.. si + plus-que-parfait, then the past conditional.
Key terms
- si j'avais su
- if I had known
- une hypothèse
- a hypothesis
- la condition
- the condition (the si clause)
- le résultat
- the result
- mixte
- mixed (past condition, present result)
- aujourd'hui
- today
- si seulement
- if only
- s'il
- if he (si + il)
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| si j'avais su | if I had known |
| une hypothèse | a hypothesis |
| la condition | the condition (the si clause) |
| le résultat | the result |
| mixte | mixed (past condition, present result) |
| aujourd'hui | today |
| si seulement | if only |
| s'il | if he (si + il) |
Practice
Sort it
Where does each form go?
j'avais su
plus-que-parfaitShow answer
After si. plus-que-parfait
je serais venu
past conditionalShow answer
Result clause. past conditional
nous étions arrivés
plus-que-parfaitShow answer
After si. plus-que-parfait
elle aurait compris
past conditionalShow answer
Result clause. past conditional
tu avais fini
plus-que-parfaitShow answer
After si. plus-que-parfait
je vivrais ici
present conditional, the mixed resultShow answer
Result clause. present conditional, the mixed result
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 7 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| savoir | si tu avais su |
| venir | si tu étais venu |
| prendre | si tu avais pris |
| partir | si tu étais parti |
| voir | si tu avais vu |
| dire | si tu avais dit |
| aller | si tu étais allé |
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"If I had accepted that job, I would be living in Montréal today."
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- The result needs a conditional, not the imparfait
Show answer
Si j'avais accepté ce poste, je vivrais à Montréal aujourd'hui.. mixed hypothesis: si + plus-que-parfait, result in the present conditional.
« Si nous … plus tôt, nous aurions vu le début du film. » (partir, nous)
- A conditional never follows si in an if-clause
- Imparfait gives a present hypothesis, not a past one
Show answer
étions partis. si + plus-que-parfait; partir takes être, so nous étions partis.
A friend sighs « Si j'avais su ! ». What does she mean?
- Si j'avais su is not about the future
- It says the opposite: she didn't know
Show answer
She didn't know, and now regrets it.. plus-que-parfait after si = an unreal past; the exclamation is a regret.
Build the sentence
Build "If I had known, I wouldn't have come." Start with Si.
Show answer
Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu.. si + plus-que-parfait first, then the past conditional.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Chloé, my friend, who asks me over coffee how my life would have gone if I had taken a job in Montréal. Speak naturally but clearly, at level B2, using tu. Start with « Et si tu avais accepté ce poste à Montréal ? ». Ask me one question at a time (what I would have done, what my life would be like today, what I wish I had known), and wait for my answer. After each of my replies, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch for a conditional after si, the imparfait where the plus-que-parfait is needed, and the auxiliary and agreement. The mission is complete when I have said, correctly, a past hypothesis (si + plus-que-parfait, past conditional), a mixed hypothesis (present result), and « si j'avais su » in a sentence: then say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Past hypothesis: si + plus-que-parfait → past conditional (si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu).
- Mixed hypothesis: si + plus-que-parfait → present conditional, with a present result (aujourd'hui).
- Never a conditional right after si in an if-clause.
- The clauses can swap: je ne serais pas venu si j'avais su; si + il → s'il.
- « Si j'avais su ! » alone expresses regret.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Complete: « Si j'avais su, je … pas … » (venir, past conditional)
Show answer
je ne serais pas venu.
Why is "si j'aurais su" wrong?
Show answer
A conditional never follows si in an if-clause; use the plus-que-parfait: si j'avais su.
"If I had taken that job, I would live in Lyon today."
Show answer
Si j'avais pris ce poste, je vivrais à Lyon aujourd'hui.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free exercises and clips with answers.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, a free daily news bulletin in simple French.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.