Breakdown of Les clients croyaient que nous aurions envoyé le bilan de l'avancement.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
avoir
to have
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
le client
the client / the customer
envoyer
to send
croire
to believe
que
that (introducing a clause)
le bilan
the assessment
l'avancement
the progress (m)
Questions & Answers about Les clients croyaient que nous aurions envoyé le bilan de l'avancement.
Why is aurions envoyé used here instead of the futur antérieur (aurons envoyé)?
Because the main verb croyaient is in the past, which triggers backshifting in reported speech. The clients' original thought was likely 'They will have sent it' (futur antérieur). When reporting this past thought, the futur antérieur shifts back to the conditionnel passé (aurions envoyé).
Could we use the plus-que-parfait (avions envoyé) in this sentence instead?
You could, but it changes the timeline completely. The plus-que-parfait (nous avions envoyé) would mean 'we had sent', meaning the sending happened before the clients formed their belief. The conditionnel passé here means 'we would have sent', which describes an action the clients expected to be completed at some point in their future.
I always forget: does croire que require the subjunctive?
What is the literal breakdown of le bilan de l'avancement?
Un bilan is an assessment, appraisal, or summary, while l'avancement means progress or advancement. In professional settings, this combination translates naturally to a 'progress assessment' or 'status report'.
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