# FR: if we meaure



## Matcauthon

Si nous mesurerions le succès de ce raid en nombre d’hommes en bonne santé ou en nombre des objectives complète, ce raid était vraiment un désastre.

If we mesure the success of this raid in the nomber of men in good health or number of complete objectives, this raid was really a disaster.

Should i have conjugated this verb, mesurer, like I did? 
Thank You.


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## Qcumber

Matcauthon said:


> Si nous mesurons le succès de ce raid au nombre d’hommes en bonne santé ou au nombre des objectifs complets [objectifs atteints], ce raid était vraiment un désastre.
> 
> If we mesure the success of this raid in the number of men in good health or the number of completed objectives [achieved aims], this raid was really a disaster.


*Si nous mesurons* ... [indicative, present]


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## Matcauthon

Shows how tired I am, my english is filled with mistakes...

Thank you, cucumber, haha, why is it though that the si clause does not make this conditionel? By saying if aren't I automatically putting it in conditonel?


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## sneaky13

jamais de conditionnel après si

si je serais riche  si j'étais riche
si nous mesurerions  si nous mesurions


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## Matcauthon

Alors c'est quoi tense que j'ai confus le "si clause" avec?  
Il y a apparement un tense qui suit si beaucoup des fois. Save quelqu'un quel un? 

Merci


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## sneaky13

possibly with "il faut "

il faut qu'il vienne (toujours le conditionnel après il faut)


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## Matcauthon

That may be true as well, but the "si clause" exists, I just dont know if its subjunctive conditonal or what anymore.... and I'm tired so I'm going to stop thinking now.

Thanks wordreference.com in general! I feel I have gotten better at french in a day.


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## Qcumber

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?p=1878314&highlight=unreal#post1878314

Matcauthon, have a look at this post of mine.

Here is now the real aspect.

1) Present
1a) Si j'habite ici, c'est parce que je ne peux pas me permettre d'habiter ailleurs. [indicative, present]
= If I live here, it's because I can't afford to live anywhere else.

1b) S'il a le temps, je vais lui parler.
= If he's got time (for it), I'll talk to him.

1c) Si elle est malade, qu'elle reste à la maison.
= If she is sick, let her stay in her home.

2) Past (*si* is often replaced by *quand*)
2a) Si > Quand la porte était fermée, il entrait par la fenêtre. [indicative, imperfect]
= If / when the door was closed, he would enter through the window.

2b) S'il / Quand il avait de l'argent, il nous invitait au restaurant.
If / When he had money, he would invite us to a restaurant.

2c) Quand il était en Afrique, s'il pouvait capter la BBC et la Voix de l'Amérique, il écoutait les deux.
When he was in Africa, if he could tune in the BBC and the Voice of America, he would listen to both.


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## misadro

the difficulty comes from *if* being followed in english by subjunctive in these instances :
_i would tell him if he were here _(now)
_i would have told him if he had been here/there _(then, at that time)

unlike in french where you have, after *si*, imparfait / plus-que-parfait :
_Je l'inviterais*si j'avais*_[imparfait] _son numéro_(now) 
_Je l'aurais invité *si j'avais eu*_[plus-que-parfait] _son numéro _(then, at that time) 

Moreover, _il faut qu'il vienne _(toujours le *subjonctif* après il faut ) .. or, if you can manage without the pronoun, *infinitif* .. _il faut venir 
_


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## Matcauthon

Hmm, allright, thank you guys, but, (and now this is probably because I havent been taught this yet) what do you mean by real and unreal? 

Are the unreal situations suppositions of what *would* happen, (if this had happened(but you know it hasnt), this would've happened) and the real situations are situations with what *will,* or has alreadyhappened?(if this has happened(and it might've), this will happen)

Thanks


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## misadro

real is what happens as a rule or what is likely to happen ...
if you heat lead, it melts
if you park your car here, the police will tow it

unreal, hypothetical :
if i were rich, i would live a life of leisure (not true, am not)  
if you had listened to me, all this would have never happened (not true, you didnt listen to me)


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## Matcauthon

Allright, thank you all very much.


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## Qcumber

Matcauthon. Real and unreal are two aspects, neither modes, nor tenses, but to express them you need tenses, and these vary from language to language. In the case of modern English and French, the contrast {real Vs unreal} may be shown as follows.

1. REAL
1.1. REAL PRESENT
If he has the money, he will pay now. [indicative, present]
= S'il a l'argent, il va payer maintenant. [_indicatif, présent_]

1.2. REAL PAST
If he spent the money yesterday, I don't see how he could still have it to day. [indicative, preterit]
= S'il a dépensé l'argent hier, je ne vois pas comment il pourrait l'avoir encore aujourd'hui. [_indicatif, passé composé_] 

2. UNREAL
2.1.UNREAL PRESENT
If I spent the money now, how could I pay the rent tomorrow? [subjunctive unreal present. It looks like the preterit, but it isn't.]
= Si je dépensais l'argent maintenant, comment pourrais-je payer le loyer demain? [_indicatif, imparfait_]

2.2. UNREAL PAST
If I had spent the money yesterday, I couldn't pay the rent today. [subjunctive unreal past]
= Si j'avais dépensé l'argent hier, je ne pourrais pas payer le loyer aujourd'hui. [_indicatif, plus-que-parfait_]


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## Spiderkat

Qcumber said:


> ...
> 
> 2.2. UNREAL PAST
> If I had spent the money yesterday, I couldn't pay the rent today. [subjunctive unreal past]
> = Si j'avais dépensé l'argent hier, je n'aurais pas pu payer le loyer aujourd'hui. [_indicatif, plus-que-parfait_]


Petite correction de concordance des temps.


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## Qcumber

Spiderkat said:


> Petite correction de concordance des temps.


This is not a correction; you just made another sentence.
Mine implies that the speaker will pay the rent later during that day, yours that he/she paid it earlier during that day.
Both are correct, but different.


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