Reproches et Auraient Dû (Reproach and Should Have)

Learning ObjectivesForm the past conditional for regular and irregular verbs.Use the past conditional to express personal regrets.Use the past conditional to make criticisms or reproaches.Correctly use the past conditional in sentences with 'si' (if) [see].Oh no! 😱 I completely forgot my friend's hockey game yesterday. J'aurais dû lui envoyer un texto pour l'encourager! (I should have sent him a text to encourage him!) [zho-RAY doo lwee ahn-vwah-YAY uhn tex-TOH poor lawn-koo-rah-ZHAY] In this lesson, we're going to learn how to express these kinds of regrets and talk about things that could have happened in the past, but didn't.Real-World ApplicationsDiscussing historical decisions and what could have been done differently.Expressing regret after making a mistake.Giving a friend advice ab...

French TermEnglish ExplanationExampleLe conditionnel passé (The past conditional) [luh kohn-dee-syoh-NEL pah-SAY]A verb tense used to talk about an action that could have happened in the past, but didn't. It often expresses a regret, a criticism, or an unreal 'what if' scenario about the past.J'aurais aimé aller au Carnaval de Québec. (I would have liked to go to the Quebec Carnival.)Un regret (A regret) [uhn ruh-GREH]A feeling of sadness or disappointment about something that happened or didn't happen in the past.Mon plus grand regret est de ne pas avoir voyagé plus. (My biggest regret is not having traveled more.)Un reproche (A reproach or criticism) [uhn ruh-PROSH]A criticism directed at someone about a past action or something they failed to do.Il m'a fait le reproche d'être arrivé en...

1. How to Form the Past ConditionalRule: The past conditional is formed with the helping verb avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] or être (to be) [ET-ruh] in the conditionnel présent (present conditional) [kohn-dee-syoh-NEL pray-ZAHN], followed by the participe passé (past participle) [par-tee-SEEP pah-SAY] of the main verb.Structure: Subject + helping verb in present conditional (aurais, aurais, aurait, aurions, auriez, auraient / serais, serais, serait, serions, seriez, seraient) + past participle.Examples:J'aurais fini (I would have finished) [zho-RAY fee-NEE] mes devoirs (my homework). (using avoir)Elle serait partie (She would have left) [el suh-RAY par-TEE] plus tôt (earlier). (using être - note the past participle agreement!)2. Expressing a Regret or CriticismRule: We often use the past condi...