Question 1

Why is seraient in the conditional mood here?

Accepted Answer

The phrase quand bien même (meaning "even if" or "even though") introduces a hypothetical situation and a concession. In French, this specific conjunction must always be followed by the conditional mood. Here, seraient is the present conditional of être.

Question 2

Could I use même si instead of quand bien même to mean the same thing?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the grammar would change. While même si also means "even if," it is followed by the imperfect tense for this type of hypothesis, never the conditional. You would have to say même si elles étaient invincibles.

Question 3

What is the difference between quand même and quand bien même?

Accepted Answer

Quand même is typically used as an adverb meaning "anyway" or "all the same" and often comes at the end of a clause. Quand bien même is a conjunction used at the beginning of a clause to introduce an extreme hypothesis, meaning "even if," and is slightly more formal.

Question 4

Why use faire attention instead of a literal translation like être prudent?

Accepted Answer

Both work, but faire attention is the most common, everyday expression for "to be careful" or "to watch out" for a risk. You could correctly say elles devraient être prudentes, but faire attention is a standard fixed phrase that sounds very natural in this context.

Quand bien même elles seraient invincibles, elles devraient faire attention.

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