Question 1

Why do we use the imparfait (était) in the first half but the past conditional (aurait licencié) in the second half?

Accepted Answer

This is a mixed conditional! Normally, a past conditional result pairs with the plus-que-parfait in the si clause (like 'If he had been...'). But here, the manager's lack of understanding is a general, ongoing character trait. We use the imparfait for a present/ongoing condition to say: 'If he were an understanding person [in general], he wouldn't have fired the employee [in the past].'

Question 2

Is compréhensif a false friend? It looks like the English word 'comprehensive'.

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is! In French, compréhensif (or compréhensive in the feminine) means 'understanding,' 'tolerant,' or 'sympathetic' when describing a person. The English word 'comprehensive' (meaning complete or thorough) translates to complet, exhaustif, or approfondi.

Question 3

Just as a refresher, why is the negation placed as n'aurait pas licencié instead of n'aurait licencié pas?

Accepted Answer

In all compound tenses (like the conditionnel passé used here), the negation ne ... pas forms a sandwich exclusively around the conjugated auxiliary verb. It wraps around aurait, leaving the past participle (licencié) outside of the negation.

Question 4

Are there other common ways to say 'to fire' someone in French besides licencier?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Licencier is the formal, administrative term for dismissing an employee. In everyday spoken French, you will very often hear renvoyer or the colloquial verb virer.

Si le gérant était compréhensif, il n'aurait pas licencié l'employé.

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