Conditionnel passé 2e forme — literary

Conditionnel passé 2e forme — literary means “Literary 2nd form of the past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé”. The second form of the past conditional is identical in form to the pluperfect subjunctive (eût/fût + past participle) but has the meaning of an ordinary past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé (he would have liked). Formation: eût / fût + participe passé (= aurait / serait + participe passé)

Literary 2nd form of the past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé

C2

Formation

eût / fût + participe passé (= aurait / serait + participe passé)

Explanation

The second form of the past conditional is identical in form to the pluperfect subjunctive (eût/fût + past participle) but has the meaning of an ordinary past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé (he would have liked). It is literary and recognition-only; modern French uses the ordinary past conditional (aurait/serait + past participle).

Examples

Il eût aimé vivre à cette époque.
He would have liked to live in that era.
Elle eût préféré garder le silence.
She would have preferred to stay silent.

FAQ

Conditionnel passé 2e forme — literary — what does it mean and how is it used?

Literary 2nd form of the past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé. The second form of the past conditional is identical in form to the pluperfect subjunctive (eût/fût + past participle) but has the meaning of an ordinary past conditional: il eût aimé = il aurait aimé (he would have liked). It is literary and recognition-only; modern French uses the ordinary past conditional (aurait/serait + past participle).

Conditionnel passé 2e forme — literary — how do you form it?

eût / fût + participe passé (= aurait / serait + participe passé)

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