The Conditional Trap: Grammar Judgement in a Cloze
A B1 grammar cloze contains: "Si j'___ le temps, je viendrais avec toi demain." Options: (a) ai, (b) aurai, (c) avais, (d) aurais. A candidate chooses (d) "aurais", reasoning: "The second clause has 'viendrais', which is conditional, so the first clause should also be conditional." A separate item: "Il faut que tu ___ (partir) avant midi." The candidate writes "il faut que tu pars". A third item: "Bien qu'il ___ (être) fatigué, il a fini le travail." The candidate writes "bien qu'il est fatigué".
1. Assess the candidate's reasoning on the first item. Is (d) defensible, and what is the expected answer?
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The reasoning is half-right but misapplied. French si-clauses follow a fixed sequence: si + imparfait → conditionnel présent (hypothetical present/future). So "Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais" is the standard B1 answer - option (c). Option (d) "aurais" would produce "Si j'aurais...", which is a well-known non-standard/incorrect pattern in careful written French (though heard in casual speech). The candidate's error is a symmetry fallacy: assuming both clauses share the same tense/aspect. The correct mental model is a pairing table: si + présent → futur; si + imparfait → conditionnel; si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé. A good answer notes that "demain" does not force a future tense inside the si-clause; the future meaning is carried by the main clause.
2. Diagnose the two subjunctive errors and state the rule the candidate needs.
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Both errors come from the same gap: the candidate does not recognise subjunctive triggers. (1) Il faut que obligatorily takes the subjunctive: "il faut que tu partes". (2) Bien que also obligatorily takes the subjunctive: "bien qu'il soit fatigué". Writing "pars" and "est" shows the candidate is defaulting to the indicative whenever the verb feels like a statement of fact - a meaning-based shortcut that fails because these triggers are grammatical, not semantic. The rule to teach: memorise a trigger list (il faut que, bien que, quoique, pour que, avant que, à condition que, je veux que…) and drill present subjunctive endings for regular verbs plus the high-frequency irregulars (être → sois/soit, avoir → aie/ait, aller → aille, faire → fasse). Note that "bien que" is concessive and always subjunctive, whereas "parce que" is indicative - a useful contrast pair.