The Past Conditional
To talk about things that would have happened in the past, use the past conditional. It is formed using three parts: the conditional auxiliary (the exact same one used in the present conditional), the invariable word fi, and the past participle of the main verb.
| Pronoun | Auxiliary | + fi | Past Participle | Example (a salva - to save) |
|---|
| eu | aș | fi | salvat | aș fi salvat (I would have saved) |
| tu | ai | fi | salvat | ai fi salvat (you would have saved) |
| el/ea | ar | fi | salvat | ar fi salvat (he/she would have saved) |
| noi | am | fi | salvat | am fi salvat (we would have saved) |
| voi | ați | fi | salvat | ați fi salvat (you all would have saved) |
| ei/ele | ar | fi | salvat | ar fi salvat (they would have saved) |
Pronouns and Negation
When using reflexive verbs (like a se bloca - to crash) or object pronouns, the pronoun drops its vowel and contracts with the auxiliary verb just as it does in other tenses:
- se
- ar = s-ar (s-ar fi blocat
- mă
- ar = m-ar (m-ar fi avertizat
To make the verb negative, simply place nu before the auxiliary or the contracted pronoun: nu ai fi regretat (you would not have regretted).
Past Unreal Conditionals ("If" sentences)
When talking about missed opportunities and past regrets, we use "if" (dacă).
In English, we mix tenses for past unreal situations: we use the past perfect for the condition and the conditional for the result ("If the computer had crashed, I would have lost the data").
In Romanian, the rule is perfectly symmetrical. Just like with present conditionals, you use the past conditional in both halves of the sentence.
Clause Order
Just like in English, the dacă clause can come at the beginning or the end of the sentence. The grammar remains exactly the same.