Pouvais v pourrais

Question

I'm confused as to why at the beginning of the exercise "Si je pouvais" is used, while at the end it's "Je pourrais". Would the conditional not be used in both cases as there's no guarantee of either action taking place, so both are hypothetical?

Maarten Kamp · Accepted Answer

Karen, 
the conditional mood is not used in the ‘ si clause ‘ of a hypothetical, as it is setting a prerequisite condition. Hence ‘ si je pouvais ‘.
 It is not always imparfait in the ‘ si ‘ clause, depending on the ‘ likelihood ‘ but it will not be the conditional mood.
The conditional mood is used in the ‘ other ‘ clause in a hypothetical, which describes the proposed ‘result/outcome’. Hence ‘ je pourrais ‘.
Remember the imparfait has more than just ‘ past tense ‘ usage and meaning - its use in hypotheticals is significant.
 See attached links: 
https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/using-si-l-imparfait-in-hypothetical-sentences-with-le-conditionnel-present 
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/si-clauses-conditionals/
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/si-clauses-second-conditional/