Breakdown of Si la nouvelle base était inconnue, nous y cacherions les combinaisons.
être
to be
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
cacher
to hide
nouveau
new
si
if
y
there (pronoun) / to it
la combinaison
the suit
inconnu
unknown
la base
the base
Questions & Answers about Si la nouvelle base était inconnue, nous y cacherions les combinaisons.
How does this sentence form the second conditional?
To express a hypothetical or 'what if' situation in the present, French uses si (if) followed by the imperfect tense. Here, we have si + the imperfect était. The result part of the sentence uses the conditional tense, cacherions (we would hide).
Why is the pronoun y placed before the verb instead of at the end like in English?
In French, the pronoun y (meaning 'there') goes immediately before the conjugated verb. Even though in English we say 'hide the suits there', in French it becomes nous y cacherions (literally 'we there would hide'). Here, y stands in for the location à la nouvelle base.
Why does the word inconnue end with an extra 'e'?
Does combinaisons mean business suits?
No, combinaisons refers to specialized one-piece suits like spacesuits, diving wetsuits, ski suits, or protective overalls. If you wanted to talk about a business suit, you would use the word costume.
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