Question 1

How does se serait vu refuser translate to "would have been refused"?

Accepted Answer

The structure se voir + infinitive is used to avoid the passive voice when the subject is the indirect recipient of the action. Here, it is in the conditional past (se serait vu) followed by the infinitive refuser. It literally means "he would have seen himself be refused", which translates naturally to "he would have been refused".

Question 2

Why is the auxiliary serait used here instead of aurait?

Accepted Answer

Because se voir is a pronominal (reflexive) verb. All pronominal verbs use the auxiliary être in compound tenses. Therefore, to form the conditional past, we use serait instead of aurait.

Question 3

Does the past participle vu need to agree with the subject here?

Accepted Answer

No. In the structure se voir + infinitive, the reflexive pronoun se acts as an indirect object (he saw to himself the loan being refused). Because the direct object (le prêt) comes after the verb, the past participle does not agree. It remains vu.

Question 4

Why is épargne singular when the English translation says "savings"?

Accepted Answer

In French, l'épargne is typically an uncountable singular noun referring to the total sum of money saved or the concept of saving. If you wanted to use a plural noun, you could say ses économies.

Question 5

Could I use bien que instead of malgré in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Not without changing the grammar. Malgré (despite) must be followed by a noun or pronoun, like son épargne. Bien que (although) must be followed by a full clause with a conjugated verb in the subjunctive, for example: bien qu'il ait de l'épargne.

Malgré son épargne, il se serait vu refuser le prêt.

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