Breakdown of Je travaillerais dans la finance si j'avais accepté leur proposition.
je
I
dans
in, inside
avoir
to have
travailler
to work
leur
their (singular and plural forms: leur, leurs)
si
if
accepter
to accept
la proposition
the proposal
la finance
the finance
Questions & Answers about Je travaillerais dans la finance si j'avais accepté leur proposition.
Why is the main clause in the present conditional (travaillerais) but the si clause is in the plus-que-parfait (avais accepté)?
This is a mixed conditional. Normally, you pair the imparfait with the present conditional for a hypothetical present situation (If I did X, I would do Y). Here, the condition happened in the past (j'avais accepté - I had accepted), but the result is happening right now in the present (je travaillerais - I would work).
Could I say en finance instead of dans la finance?
I sometimes mix up travaillais and travaillerais. How do I remember which one to use here?
Travaillais is the imparfait (I was working), while travaillerais is the conditional (I would work). To form the conditional, you start with the future stem (which keeps the r from the infinitive travailler) and add the imparfait endings (-ais). You need the conditional here to express the "would" result of the sentence.
Does proposition specifically mean a job offer here?
Yes. While proposition translates to "proposal" or "suggestion" in general, in a professional context like this one, it usually refers to a job offer or a business contract. You could also use offre d'emploi to be strictly specific about a job offer, but proposition is very common and natural in this context.
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