ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ton destin aurait été différent.

Ton destin aurait été différent.
Your destiny would have been different.
From Lesson 210:The past conditional tense·French

Questions & Answers about Ton destin aurait été différent.

How is the past conditional formed in aurait été?
The past conditional uses the present conditional of an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) plus the past participle of the main verb. Here, the main verb is être (to be). Its auxiliary is avoir, so we use the conditional form aurait (would have) and add the past participle été (been).
Since the main verb is être (to be), why doesn't it use être as its auxiliary?
In French, the verb être always takes avoir as its auxiliary verb in compound tenses, including the past conditional. That is why we use aurait rather than a conditional form of être.
Is there a liaison between aurait and été?
Yes. Because the auxiliary verb aurait ends in a consonant and the past participle été starts with a vowel, you should pronounce the final 't' in aurait to link the two words together smoothly.
Why doesn't the adjective différent have an 'e' at the end?
The adjective différent must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes, which is destin (destiny). Because destin is a masculine singular noun, différent remains in its default masculine singular form.

Learn Ton destin aurait été différent 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
Start learning French →