Conditional perfect
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, the conditional perfect is the composed (compound) form of the conditional mood
. It refers to a hypothetical action in the past, contingent on something else that did not occur in the past. The difference from the present form of the conditional is that, in the conditional perfect, the hypothetical resultive action is presented as beginning, and usually finished, before the present. Like the present conditional, the conditional perfect appears in the apodosis (the then clause of an if..., then... statement).
, this grammatical form is used in an independent clause
associated with a dependent clause that uses the pluperfect subjunctive form of the subjunctive mood
. It is always constructed using the conditional modal would (which is invariant to person and number) followed by the bare infinitive helping verb have, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Examples:
In each example, the would have + past participle verb phrase is in the conditional perfect, while the had + past participle verb phrase is in the pluperfect subjunctive.
In very informal speech, the would have + past participle construction is sometimes used in the if clause (instead of the pluperfect subjunctive) as well as the then clause, as for example in If we would have run faster, then we would have arrived earlier. However, this formulation is considered incorrect by prescriptivists
and never appears in formal speech or writing.
expresses counterfactual conditional
sentences in exactly the same way as English does: the if clause uses the had + past participle form, while the then clause uss the would have + past participle form (although would have is a single word in French and is conjugated for person/number).
Example:
Here in the then clause, aurait translates as "would have", and pu translates as "been able"; together they form the conditional perfect. (In the if clause, avait translates as "had" and su translates as "known".)
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, the conditional perfect is the composed (compound) form of the conditional mood
Conditional mood
In linguistics, the conditional mood is the inflectional form of the verb used in the independent clause of a conditional sentence to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that is contingent on another set of circumstances...
. It refers to a hypothetical action in the past, contingent on something else that did not occur in the past. The difference from the present form of the conditional is that, in the conditional perfect, the hypothetical resultive action is presented as beginning, and usually finished, before the present. Like the present conditional, the conditional perfect appears in the apodosis (the then clause of an if..., then... statement).
English
In EnglishEnglish grammar
English grammar is the body of rules that describe the structure of expressions in the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses and sentences...
, this grammatical form is used in an independent clause
Independent clause
An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself, also known as a simple sentence. An independent clause contains a subject and a predicate; it makes sense by itself....
associated with a dependent clause that uses the pluperfect subjunctive form of the subjunctive mood
Subjunctive mood
In grammar, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express various states of irreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred....
. It is always constructed using the conditional modal would (which is invariant to person and number) followed by the bare infinitive helping verb have, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Examples:
- You would have gotten more money, if you had worked harder.
- He would have passed the test, if he had studied.
- If we had run faster, we would have arrived earlier.
In each example, the would have + past participle verb phrase is in the conditional perfect, while the had + past participle verb phrase is in the pluperfect subjunctive.
In very informal speech, the would have + past participle construction is sometimes used in the if clause (instead of the pluperfect subjunctive) as well as the then clause, as for example in If we would have run faster, then we would have arrived earlier. However, this formulation is considered incorrect by prescriptivists
Linguistic prescription
In linguistics, prescription denotes normative practices on such aspects of language use as spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. It includes judgments on what usages are socially proper and politically correct...
and never appears in formal speech or writing.
Other languages
FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
expresses counterfactual conditional
Counterfactual conditional
A counterfactual conditional, subjunctive conditional, or remote conditional, abbreviated , is a conditional statement indicating what would be the case if its antecedent were true...
sentences in exactly the same way as English does: the if clause uses the had + past participle form, while the then clause uss the would have + past participle form (although would have is a single word in French and is conjugated for person/number).
Example:
- Si on l'avait su [pluperfect indicative], on aurait pu [conditional perfect] l'empêcher.
- "If we had known it [pluperfect subjunctive], we would have been able [conditional perfect] to prevent it."
Here in the then clause, aurait translates as "would have", and pu translates as "been able"; together they form the conditional perfect. (In the if clause, avait translates as "had" and su translates as "known".)