Breakdown of C'est l'explorateur qui aurait découvert la cité antique.
qui
who
avoir
to have
découvrir
to discover
c'est
it is, that is
antique
ancient
l'explorateur
the explorer (m)
la cité
the ancient city
Questions & Answers about C'est l'explorateur qui aurait découvert la cité antique.
The translation says 'would have discovered', but doesn't this sentence mean he reportedly discovered it?
Yes, exactly! This is a classic example of the 'journalistic conditional' (le conditionnel journalistique). In French news and history, the past conditional (aurait découvert) is used to report information that is unconfirmed, rumored, or alleged. While it literally translates to 'would have discovered', in English we usually express this idea with adverbs like 'reportedly' or 'allegedly'.
How does the tone of the sentence change if I just use the passé composé and say qui a découvert?
Using the passé composé (qui a découvert) states the discovery as an absolute, confirmed historical fact. By choosing the conditionnel passé (aurait découvert), the speaker or writer is intentionally distancing themselves from the claim, indicating that the discovery is still subject to debate or hasn't been definitively verified.
Why use antique for 'ancient' instead of ancienne?
Antique specifically refers to things from antiquity—the very distant, often classical past—making it the perfect word for archeological ruins. The word ancien is trickier because its meaning changes based on placement: placed before the noun (l'ancienne cité), it means the 'former' city. Placed after the noun (la cité ancienne), it just means 'very old', but it lacks the deep historical specificity of antique.
Could we start the sentence with Il est l'explorateur instead of C'est l'explorateur?
No, you must use C'est here. You can use Il est for unmodified professions (e.g., Il est explorateur meaning 'He is an explorer'), but as soon as you add a determiner like le, un, or mon to the noun, the grammar rule dictates that you must switch to C'est. Because we are talking about the specific explorer (l'explorateur), C'est is required.
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