Question 1

Why do we use the conditional dormirait here instead of the indicative?

Accepted Answer

The phrase quand bien même (even if) is always followed by the conditional mood. This is because it introduces an extreme or unlikely hypothesis. This differs from même si, which requires the indicative mood.

Question 2

Could I use même si instead of quand bien même in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but you would need to change the verb tense. If you use même si, you must use the imperfect tense for this type of hypothesis, resulting in même s'il dormait beaucoup. Quand bien même sounds slightly more formal and emphasizes the contrast a bit more.

Question 3

In English we say 'The more... the more...'. Why isn't there a le before plus in the French sentence?

Accepted Answer

In French, the structure for 'the more... the more...' is simply plus... plus..., without any definite articles. Adding le (such as le plus) would turn it into a superlative meaning 'the most', which makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Question 4

How is quand bien même different from quand même?

Accepted Answer

Quand bien même (even if) is a conjunction that must be followed by a subject and a verb in the conditional. Quand même (anyway or all the same) is an adverb used to show contradiction and is usually placed at the end of a phrase, such as il est fatigué quand même (he is tired anyway).

Plus le justicier utilise son pouvoir, plus il est fatigué, quand bien même il dormirait beaucoup.

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