Breakdown of La plupart des gens fuiraient, quand bien même ils auraient un pouvoir.
un
a / an (masculine)
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
les gens
the people
avoir
to have
fuir
to flee
la plupart de
most of
quand bien même
even if (formal, followed by conditional)
le pouvoir
the power (authority, ability)
Questions & Answers about La plupart des gens fuiraient, quand bien même ils auraient un pouvoir.
Why do we use the conditional (auraient) after quand bien même? If it means 'even if', shouldn't it use the imperfect like si?
That is the defining rule for quand bien même! Unlike si, which requires the imperfect tense to set up a present or future hypothesis (e.g., même s'ils avaient), quand bien même requires the conditional mood to express a strong concession. This is why both verbs in this sentence—fuiraient and auraient—are in the conditional.
Why is it des gens instead of de gens? I thought expressions of quantity just took de.
Most expressions of quantity do take just de (like beaucoup de gens or trop de gens). However, la plupart is an exception. It translates more closely to 'the majority of the', so it includes the definite article. Here, de + les gens contracts into des gens.
Since la plupart is singular, why is the verb fuiraient in the plural?
Could I use s'enfuiraient instead of fuiraient in this sentence?
Yes, they are practically interchangeable here. Fuir (to flee/avoid) can be used for both physical retreats and abstractly avoiding danger or responsibilities. S'enfuir (to run away/escape) is slightly more focused on the physical act of making a sudden escape from a specific location.
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