Looking ahead from back then
In a clause after a verb of saying or thinking, the future-from-then takes the conditional: Il a dit qu'il viendrait. In main clauses and in storytelling you have more options. Each one says something different about how certain or how close the coming event was.
Four forms, four angles
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aller in the imperfect + infinitive | was about to, was going to | Il allait partir. |
| être sur le point de + infinitive | on the very verge of | Il était sur le point de partir. |
| devoir in the imperfect + infinitive | planned, scheduled or destined | Il devait partir le lendemain. |
| conditional in a main clause | narrator's look ahead, literary | Il ne reverrait jamais Paris. |
Just before: allait and était sur le point de
allait + infinitive says that something was about to happen. Often something gets in the way, introduced with quand and a passé composé. était sur le point de stresses the closeness even more, like was on the point of.
J'allais partir quand ma sœur a appelé.
I was about to leave when my sister called.
Nous étions sur le point de signer quand l'acheteur s'est retiré.
We were on the point of signing when the buyer pulled out.
Cette rencontre allait changer sa vie.
This encounter was going to change her life.
The narrator looking back; the change really happened.
Planned or destined: devait
devait + infinitive has two readings. In everyday use it means was supposed to, and often things then turned out differently. In a narrative looking back it means was to, and things turned out exactly that way. Only the context tells you which reading applies.
One sentence, two continuations
Plan, didn't happen
Elle devait devenir ministre, mais le gouvernement est tombé.
She was supposed to become a minister, but the government fell.
Le train devait arriver à 8 heures, il est arrivé à midi.
The train was due at 8, it arrived at noon.
Hindsight, did happen
Elle devait devenir ministre vingt ans plus tard.
She was to become a minister twenty years later.
Ils ne devaient plus jamais se revoir.
They were never to see each other again.
The conditional as a look ahead
In novels, biographies and long-form journalism, the conditional also appears without a subordinate clause. The narrator already knows how things end and gives it away in advance. This sounds more literary than allait or devait.
Ce soir-là, il rencontra celle qui deviendrait sa femme.
That evening he met the woman who would become his wife.
Il ne le savait pas encore, mais il ne reverrait jamais Paris.
He didn't know it yet, but he would never see Paris again.
