B2 Where to study

Question

You hinted I should use ‘he would study’. I used ‘il étudierait’ but you translated: il allait étudier. Why?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour All,
@Wendy @Maarten, you are right that the hint was misdirecting. It has now been updated and contains the correct tense in EN.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Hi Wendy,Difficult to comment without seeing the text/question context.Could you give more details please?Jim

Answer

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/questions/view/bien-que-mateo-sache-deja-ce-qu-il-allait-etudier-a-l-universite

Answer

Hi Wendy,"he was going to study at university"  --> "Il allait étudier ....."       is the correct translation.Why?  Aller in the imparfait to express "was going" and then "to study"  étudier (infinitive)Does this help?Jim

Answer

Using the imperfect + verb doesn’t help me when the hint was about a conditional  tense

Answer

The problem lies in the double function of the word "would" in English. It is used as a way to form the conditional as well as express habitual actions in the past.
I would study if I had time. -- J'étudierais si j'avais le temps. "Would study" is rendered as the conditional in French: étudierais.
He would go to France when he was younger. -- Il allait en France quand il était plus jeune. In this sentence, "would go" expresses a habitual action in the past, which demands the imperfect in French.

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Possibly a more helpful explanation in that there is an sense of continuation. Thank you

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Agree, Wendy.The clue misdirects here from ‘he was going to study’ - (allait étudier) - towards the conditional, and as such is unnecessary. If the sentence had been “knew what he would study…”, and the clue given as “was going to study …” it would have been useful, but as it stands, the clue is unhelpful.

Answer

Deleted - no longer applicable.