Breakdown of Quand bien même il lirait la bande dessinée, il ne connaîtrait pas le secret du méchant.
il
he
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
lire
to read
le secret
the secret
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
connaître
to know (be familiar with)
quand bien même
even if (formal, followed by conditional)
le méchant
the villain
la bande dessinée
the comic book
Questions & Answers about Quand bien même il lirait la bande dessinée, il ne connaîtrait pas le secret du méchant.
Why is lirait in the conditional instead of the imperfect, which we usually use for 'if' clauses?
Because of quand bien même (even if). While the similar phrase même si requires the indicative mood (like the imperfect: même s'il lisait), quand bien même is always followed by the conditional mood to express a strong hypothesis or concession. Both lirait and connaîtrait are in the conditional here.
Could I replace quand bien même with même si in this sentence?
Doesn't quand mean 'when'? How does it mean 'if' here?
On its own, quand means 'when'. However, quand bien même is a fixed expression that translates to 'even if' or 'even though'. Adding bien même changes the meaning entirely from a question of time to a hypothetical concession.
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