When you report speech using a past-tense verb (like a dit), the sequence of tenses (la concordance des temps) requires you to shift the original words further back in time.
A statement originally in the futur antérieur (future perfect, e.g., "I will have finished") shifts to the conditionnel passé (past conditional, e.g., "he would have finished").
| He said that he would have completed the project before the deadline. | Il a dit qu'il aurait achevé le projet avant l'échéance. |
Discussing Missed Deadlines
This tense shift is especially useful in project management when discussing what was supposed to happen by a certain deadline (l'échéance).
Form the conditionnel passé with the conditional form of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the past participle of the main verb (e.g., aurait repoussé, aurait fait).
| He announced that he would have postponed the deadline. | Il a annoncé qu'il aurait repoussé l'échéance. |
| She informed me that she would have done the schedule update. | Elle m'a informé qu'elle aurait fait la mise à jour du planning. |
Thoughts and Expectations in the Past
This sequence of tenses also applies to past thoughts and expectations. If the main verb is a past tense of penser (to think), croire (to believe), or espérer (to hope), shift the expected action to the past conditional.
| She thought that she would have finished the update before the deadline. | Elle pensait qu'elle aurait fini la mise à jour avant l'échéance. |
| The clients believed that we would have sent the progress assessment. | Les clients croyaient que nous aurions envoyé le bilan de l'avancement. |
| I was hoping that they would not have postponed any schedule. | J'espérais qu'ils n'auraient repoussé aucun planning. |