B2 Where to study

Wendy W.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

B2 Where to study

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

Asked 3 years ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect 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 ! 

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Wendy,

Difficult to comment without seeing the text/question context.

Could you give more details please?

Jim

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

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

Wendy W.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

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

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

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.

Wendy W.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

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

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

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.

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Deleted - no longer applicable.

B2 Where to study

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

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