Breakdown of Si un extraterrestre respirait de l'oxygène, il serait comme nous.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
il
he
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
si
if
comme
like, as
respirer
to breathe
l'oxygène
the oxygen (m)
l'extraterrestre
the alien (m)
Questions & Answers about Si un extraterrestre respirait de l'oxygène, il serait comme nous.
Why do we use the imperfect tense (respirait) if we are talking about a hypothetical situation right now?
In French, when you make a hypothesis about the present or future (a second conditional sentence), the verb immediately following si (if) must be in the imperfect tense (l'imparfait). It sets up the imaginary scenario, just like how we say 'breathed' instead of 'breathes' in English.
What tense is serait and why is it used here?
Serait is the present conditional of être (to be), meaning 'would be'. The result of the hypothetical si clause is always expressed in the conditional tense. The formula to remember is: Si + imperfect -> conditional.
Why is it de l'oxygène and not just l'oxygène?
Oxygen is an uncountable substance. French requires a partitive article (du, de la, or de l') when talking about an unspecified quantity of an uncountable thing, similar to the invisible 'some' in the English phrase 'breathed (some) oxygen'.
Why doesn't si contract with un to make s'un?
Why do we use the pronoun il to refer to an alien?
Learn Si un extraterrestre respirait de l'oxygène, il serait comme nous and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free