Learn French: Si la nouvelle base était inconnue, nous y cacherions les combinaisons. - If the new base were unknown, we would hide the suits there.

Si la nouvelle base était inconnue, nous y cacherions les combinaisons.

If the new base were unknown, we would hide the suits there.

Breakdown of Si la nouvelle base était inconnue, nous y cacherions les combinaisons.

être

to be

nous

we / us (object pronoun)

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'?

Because it is an adjective describing la base, which is a feminine noun. The standard masculine form is inconnu, so we add an -e to make it agree with la nouvelle base.

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.