To talk about hypothetical conditions that wouldn't change an outcome—like "even if he were invincible"—French uses the formal expression quand bien même.
| even if (formal, followed by conditional) | quand bien même |
The Conditional Rule
While the more common expression même si (even if) is followed by the imperfect tense, quand bien même is strictly followed by the conditional mood. Because the scenario is imaginary, the main clause is usually in the conditional as well.
| Even if he were invincible, the superhero could lose. | Quand bien même il serait invincible, le super-héros pourrait perdre. |
Sentence Placement
Like in English, you can place the quand bien même clause at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
| Most people would flee, even if they had a power. | La plupart des gens fuiraient, quand bien même ils auraient un pouvoir. |
| Even if you were a superhero, you would end up being tired. | Quand bien même tu serais un super-héros, tu finirais par être fatigué. |
Heroes, Villains, and Hypotheticals
Notice how both halves of these hypothetical showdowns stay in the conditional mood:
| Even if the superheroine were active, the city would be in danger. | Quand bien même la super-héroïne serait active, la ville serait en danger. |
| Even if the villain apologized, we would not trust him. | Quand bien même le méchant s'excuserait, nous ne lui ferions pas confiance. |
| Even if this vigilante were very fast, he would not be able to stop the villain. | Quand bien même ce justicier serait très rapide, il ne pourrait pas arrêter le méchant. |
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