A Friend's Apology (B1 writing exercise)

Question

Why is the imperfect used in the phrase "si je pouvais remonter le temps" rather than the conditional?

Accepted Answer

Hi Bronwyn,
As Jim says, if you can replace 'could' by 'was /were able to' it will be the imparfait and the conditionnel.
In any case, after a si clause , 'could' will always be the imparfait -

Si je pouvais, j'apprendrais l'espagnol = If I could I would learn Spanish
Si elles pouvaient, elles iraient en Italie = If they could, they would go to Italy

etc.
 Hope this helps!

Answer

Hi Bronwyn,Immediately, I think in English "If I were able to ...." This is how an "if" statement would be expressed.I'm speculating that this may be true in French (using imparfait) but I'm not sure.Let's see what others may be able to add.Jim