Breakdown of Ton destin aurait été différent.
être
to be
avoir
to have
ton
your (informal)
différent
different
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.