Question 1

Why is pourrait in the conditional mood here instead of the imperfect like we use after si?

Accepted Answer

The phrase quand bien même (even if) introduces a hypothetical situation, but unlike a simple si (if) clause which takes the imperfect tense for this kind of hypothesis, quand bien même always requires the conditional mood. That is why we use the conditional pourrait here.

Question 2

Could I just use même si instead of quand bien même to mean "even if" here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the grammar would change. Même si is followed by the indicative mood, so you would need the imperfect tense: même si elle pouvait. Quand bien même sounds a bit more formal or literary, and it strongly emphasizes just how extreme or unlikely the hypothetical situation is.

Question 3

Why is the verb se téléporter reflexive here?

Accepted Answer

In French, verbs for moving one's own body or changing one's own position are often reflexive. While you can use téléporter on its own when teleporting an object or another person, teleporting yourself requires the reflexive pronoun se.

Question 4

Why do we use en retard instead of just tard for "late"?

Accepted Answer

En retard is used when a person, event, or vehicle is late relative to a schedule or expectation. Tard refers to the actual time of day being late (like late in the evening). Since she is arriving later than she was supposed to, en retard is the correct choice.

Quand bien même elle pourrait se téléporter, elle arriverait en retard.

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