Breakdown of S'il n'y avait pas de gravité, tout flotterait.
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
tout
all, everything
si
if
il y avait
there was, there were
la gravité
the gravity
flotter
to float
Questions & Answers about S'il n'y avait pas de gravité, tout flotterait.
Why is the imperfect tense (avait) used here instead of the conditional?
In French second conditional sentences, the si (if) clause always takes the imperfect tense (l'imparfait). Just like in English you say 'If there were' and not 'If there would be', French uses avait. The conditional tense (flotterait) is strictly saved for the result clause.
How does il y avait relate to il y a?
Il y avait is simply the imperfect tense of il y a (there is / there are). On its own, it means 'there was' or 'there were'. When attached to si in this hypothetical sentence, it translates to 'if there were'.
Why do we say pas de gravité instead of pas de la gravité?
Why is it written as S'il instead of Si il?
Can tout be the subject of a sentence all by itself?
Yes! When used as a pronoun, tout means 'everything'. It functions perfectly as a subject and always takes the third-person singular (he/she/it) verb conjugation, which is why the conditional verb here is conjugated as flotterait.
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