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Celui-ci aurait refusé le procès s'il avait connu la peine.

Celui-ci aurait refusé le procès s'il avait connu la peine.
This one would have refused the trial if he had known the sentence.
From Lesson 223:Third conditional (si + plus-que-parfait)·French

Questions & Answers about Celui-ci aurait refusé le procès s'il avait connu la peine.

Why do we use aurait refusé and avait connu in this sentence?
This sentence uses the Third Conditional to talk about an unreal situation in the past (something that didn't actually happen). The rule for this is to use si + Plus-que-parfait (avait connu) for the condition, and the Conditionnel passé (aurait refusé) for the hypothetical result.
Why use Celui-ci instead of just Il?
Celui-ci means 'this one' or 'the latter.' It is often used in French to refer back to the last person or thing mentioned in a previous sentence. This avoids repetition and is much more precise than simply using il (he).
Is le procès a false friend for the English word 'process'?
Yes, it is! In French, le procès means 'the trial' or 'the lawsuit.' If you want to talk about a 'process,' you would use the word le processus.
I thought la peine meant 'effort' or 'sorrow.' Why is it translated as 'sentence' here?
La peine changes meaning depending on the context. You are right that it often means effort (like in the phrase ça vaut la peine meaning 'it is worth it') or sadness. However, in a legal context like this one with a trial, it specifically means a legal punishment or a prison sentence.

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