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French frequency list

No. 110 in French

aurait

"Would have" or "could have" (third-person singular form of the verb "avoir" in the conditional tense).

In a sentence

  • Il aurait aimé venir, mais il était occupé.

    He would have liked to come, but he was busy.

    Here, 'aurait' is used as an auxiliary verb for the conditional perfect tense, indicating a hypothetical action that did not occur.

  • Elle aurait pu réussir si elle avait étudié davantage.

    She could have succeeded if she had studied more.

    In this sentence, 'aurait' is paired with 'pu' to form a conditional perfect meaning 'could have,' highlighting a missed opportunity.

  • Selon les témoins, il aurait dit quelque chose de surprenant.

    According to the witnesses, he allegedly said something surprising.

    Here, 'aurait' indicates reported speech in the conditional mood, which suggests a statement that is not confirmed but claimed by others.

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