aurais
In French, "would have" is expressed using the conditional form of the verb aurais.
The conditional form of the verb used to describe a hypothetical situation in the past.
Which one should you use?
The third-person plural form auraient is used to express "they would have" in a hypothetical past context.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget that aurais is a conjugated form of the auxiliary verb avoir and must be paired with a past participle to complete the "would have [verb]" structure.
Did you know?
- Journalists use the third-person plural auraient as a 'conditional of rumor' to report news that is not yet confirmed. It allows a writer to say 'they would have done' while subtly implying 'allegedly' to avoid legal or factual responsibility.
- In casual spoken French, people often replace the conditional aurais with the simple imperfect avais to express the same hypothetical idea, though this is technically grammatically incorrect.
- Because aurais is derived from avoir, it shares the same root as the English word 'have', as both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to hold'.
Examples in context
- Je n'aurais jamais deviné.I never would have guessed.This sentence is useful for expressing that you never would have guessed something using aurais.Tatoeba #3430323 by sacredceltic, translation #3422494 by Hybrid
- C'est ce que j'aurais fait.That's what I would have done.This sentence is useful for expressing what you would have done using aurais.Tatoeba #7772387 by say123, translation #6871122 by CC
- Je n'aurais jamais dit cela.I never would have said that.This sentence is useful for expressing that you never would have said something using aurais.Tatoeba #11720888 by Aiji, translation #6871136 by CC
- Je ne l'aurais pas cru.I would not have believed him/her.
- Je serais parti plus tôt.I would have left earlier.
- J'aurais adoré venir mais je n'ai pas pu.I would have loved to come, but I couldn't.
- J'aurais bien mangé un morceau de gâteau.I would have gladly eaten a piece of cake.
- Si j'avais su, je serais venu te voir.If I had known, I would have come to see you.
- Elle aurait pu réussir si elle avait travaillé plus dur.She would have been able to succeed if she had worked harder.
- J'aurais voulu te prévenir plus tôt, mais je n'ai pas pu trouver ton numéro.I would have wanted to warn you earlier, but I couldn't find your number.
- 106 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are discussing a movie they missed.
- NathanTu aurais aimé ce film.You would have liked this movie.
- EmmaOui, je l'aurais adoré.Yes, I would have loved it.
- NathanDommage que tu ne sois pas venue.It's a shame you didn't come.
- EmmaJe l'aurais fait si j'avais pu.I would have done it if I could have.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
