Would that it were used more in English.
I love it. It gives you a whole extra dimension to express yourself. You can use it to convey the idea of something virtual - a potential or intended action.
Most people like in most foreign people or most French people?
Subjonctif is perfectly usual and very much alive every day our francophone brain lives. This is basic grammar for mother tongue speakers.
For foreigners, it is not vital for communication, it just sound strange and a bit off track but the communication and understanding doesn't suffer. Second language learners still have to look into it at some point if they want to speak real French. But not as a beginner.
Now, who can correctly identify the tense here:
que j'aurais eusse eu
Tom
P.S. in English: 'that I would have had'
Heu - non! Perhaps if you put it in a proper sentence? (still- non!)
What about this one
Et bin - Si j'aurais su, j'aurais pas v'nu
It's que j'aurais eu or que j'eusse eu but not a mix of both.
It's a conditionnel passé vs subjonctif passé deuxième forme issue.
Had I have known, I wouldn't have something.
Albeit with very bad grammar.
More correct would have been: Si je l'aurais su, je ne l'aurais pas something
Tom
Even more correct would be: Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu (venue if je is feminin).
OK, it's been a while.
But you get my point.
And, at least I was close!
Tom
It's a case where I feel empathy for you, st2lemans, because Italian and French rules on subjunctive and use of conditional are not exactly the same. It's almost impossible to master this level of subtleties in both languages. The stronger language influence the other one. I've discovered the same subtle issues with romansh.
A famous quote, and rural misuse- from the classic book (1912) and film 'La Guerre des Boutons' (1962). Still used a lot bY my generation as a joke.
If I had known, I wouldn't have come.
Haven't seen the film, but loved the book.
Tom
The sentence is not in the book, it's a witty invention of the film makers.
The only one so far that is grammatically correct. Plus-que-parfait in the conditional clause requires conditionnel passé in the resulting clause, i.e. Hier, s'il avait fait beau, j'aurais skié. Yesterday, if it had been nice out, I would've skied.
This why some suggest that French be a language for philosophers but English the talk of shopkeeper's.
(note use of both subjunctive and grocer's apostrophe)
Also correct in a highly literary style:
"Si j'eusse su, je ne fusse pas venu/venue"
"S'il eût fait beau hier, j'eusse skié".
I'm just waiting for the patois..