Question 1

Why does this sentence use the imparfait (était) instead of the plus-que-parfait (avait été) for the 'if' clause?

Accepted Answer

This is a mixed conditional dealing with a present condition and a past result. Because being pessimistic is his ongoing personality trait, it applies to the present, so we use the imparfait. The party, however, was a specific event in the past that didn't happen, so we use the past conditional (aurait organisé). If we used avait été, it would mean he was only pessimistic in the past.

Question 2

Is it mandatory to contract si + il into s'il?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is strictly mandatory in written and spoken French. The word si always drops its 'i' before il and ils. Just remember this is a specific exception: si does not contract before any other vowels, meaning you must always write si elle or si on.

Question 3

Does the adjective pessimiste change if the subject is female?

Accepted Answer

No, pessimiste already ends in an 'e' in its masculine form, so it stays exactly the same for feminine subjects. If the sentence were about a woman, it would simply be: Si elle n'était pas pessimiste...

Question 4

Why is the auxiliary verb avoir used in aurait organisé?

Accepted Answer

The verb organiser is a regular verb that takes a direct object (une fête), so it uses avoir in all compound tenses. You would only use être (serait) here if the verb were reflexive, for example: il se serait organisé (he would have gotten himself organized).

S'il n'était pas pessimiste, il aurait organisé une fête.

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