if condition in the pastWhat does the “would have been” express in this sentence?
New order #4: World
I’m planning on buying a laser printer but concerned about the life cycle of toner in the machine
Is it wise to hold on to stock that has plummeted and then stabilized?
I see my dog run
Ideas for 3rd eye abilities
Can I legally use front facing blue light in the UK?
How to deal with fear of taking dependencies
Why is my log file so massive? 22gb. I am running log backups
Landlord wants to switch my lease to a "Land contract" to "get back at the city"
Unbreakable Formation vs. Cry of the Carnarium
Calculate Levenshtein distance between two strings in Python
Prime joint compound before latex paint?
Shall I use personal or official e-mail account when registering to external websites for work purpose?
How to move the player while also allowing forces to affect it
aging parents with no investments
What is the meaning of "of trouble" in the following sentence?
Are objects structures and/or vice versa?
Why did the Germans forbid the possession of pet pigeons in Rostov-on-Don in 1941?
Why do UK politicians seemingly ignore opinion polls on Brexit?
Symmetry in quantum mechanics
Information to fellow intern about hiring?
Is there a name of the flying bionic bird?
How can I fix this gap between bookcases I made?
What is GPS' 19 year rollover and does it present a cybersecurity issue?
if condition in the past
What does the “would have been” express in this sentence?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I want to ask someone that why he didn't tell me something in the past and I want to say the sentence as below:
if you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
as I know this is not based on if condition formats and maybe I should have say:
if you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday.
I am curious to know which sentence is correct if any of them is correct.
conditionals
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
migrated from english.stackexchange.com Apr 5 at 22:29
This question came from our site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts.
|
show 2 more comments
I want to ask someone that why he didn't tell me something in the past and I want to say the sentence as below:
if you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
as I know this is not based on if condition formats and maybe I should have say:
if you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday.
I am curious to know which sentence is correct if any of them is correct.
conditionals
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
migrated from english.stackexchange.com Apr 5 at 22:29
This question came from our site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts.
2
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
1
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
1
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
1
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22
|
show 2 more comments
I want to ask someone that why he didn't tell me something in the past and I want to say the sentence as below:
if you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
as I know this is not based on if condition formats and maybe I should have say:
if you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday.
I am curious to know which sentence is correct if any of them is correct.
conditionals
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
I want to ask someone that why he didn't tell me something in the past and I want to say the sentence as below:
if you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
as I know this is not based on if condition formats and maybe I should have say:
if you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday.
I am curious to know which sentence is correct if any of them is correct.
conditionals
conditionals
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
asked Apr 5 at 15:42
joe gatesjoe gates
282
282
migrated from english.stackexchange.com Apr 5 at 22:29
This question came from our site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts.
migrated from english.stackexchange.com Apr 5 at 22:29
This question came from our site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts.
2
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
1
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
1
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
1
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22
|
show 2 more comments
2
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
1
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
1
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
1
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22
2
2
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
1
1
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
1
1
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
1
1
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22
|
show 2 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Past verbs are often used for hypothetical conditions (what I think your teachers call "second conditional", but I've never heard that expression outside ESL teaching, so I'm not certain, and most English speakers won't know what you're talking about if you say it).
But this is not a hypothetical conditional, but a real conditional (what I think is called "first conditional") that happens to be in the past.
The first form you give
If you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
is perfectly normal and grammatical.
The second form
If you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?
is also grammatical, but has a slightly different meaning. The modal verb "would" has several other meanings apart from its use as a pseudo-tense. Here it either means "why were you not willing to tell me yesterday?"; or else as an epistemic modal, meaning something like "Why could it possibly be the case that you didn't tell me yesterday?"
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
add a comment |
This seems most natural to me:
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
I'm trying to come up with a sentence using 'wouldn't' but they all feel terribly clumsy. These are about the best I can do:
If you knew yesterday, why would you not have told me?
or
If you knew yesterday, why wouldn't you have told me?
I suppose if you had asked someone about something the day before, but they said they didn't know, but then revealed that they did know, you could use this:
If you already knew, why wouldn't you tell me yesterday? (when I asked)
but it's still a bit clumsy, and the 'didn't' form still sounds better to my ear
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?
Are you saying you think they are lying about knowing yesterday?
You could say this in the third conditional:
If you knew yesterday, you would have told me [already/yesterday]
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f204093%2fif-condition-in-the-past%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Past verbs are often used for hypothetical conditions (what I think your teachers call "second conditional", but I've never heard that expression outside ESL teaching, so I'm not certain, and most English speakers won't know what you're talking about if you say it).
But this is not a hypothetical conditional, but a real conditional (what I think is called "first conditional") that happens to be in the past.
The first form you give
If you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
is perfectly normal and grammatical.
The second form
If you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?
is also grammatical, but has a slightly different meaning. The modal verb "would" has several other meanings apart from its use as a pseudo-tense. Here it either means "why were you not willing to tell me yesterday?"; or else as an epistemic modal, meaning something like "Why could it possibly be the case that you didn't tell me yesterday?"
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
add a comment |
Past verbs are often used for hypothetical conditions (what I think your teachers call "second conditional", but I've never heard that expression outside ESL teaching, so I'm not certain, and most English speakers won't know what you're talking about if you say it).
But this is not a hypothetical conditional, but a real conditional (what I think is called "first conditional") that happens to be in the past.
The first form you give
If you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
is perfectly normal and grammatical.
The second form
If you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?
is also grammatical, but has a slightly different meaning. The modal verb "would" has several other meanings apart from its use as a pseudo-tense. Here it either means "why were you not willing to tell me yesterday?"; or else as an epistemic modal, meaning something like "Why could it possibly be the case that you didn't tell me yesterday?"
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
add a comment |
Past verbs are often used for hypothetical conditions (what I think your teachers call "second conditional", but I've never heard that expression outside ESL teaching, so I'm not certain, and most English speakers won't know what you're talking about if you say it).
But this is not a hypothetical conditional, but a real conditional (what I think is called "first conditional") that happens to be in the past.
The first form you give
If you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
is perfectly normal and grammatical.
The second form
If you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?
is also grammatical, but has a slightly different meaning. The modal verb "would" has several other meanings apart from its use as a pseudo-tense. Here it either means "why were you not willing to tell me yesterday?"; or else as an epistemic modal, meaning something like "Why could it possibly be the case that you didn't tell me yesterday?"
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
Past verbs are often used for hypothetical conditions (what I think your teachers call "second conditional", but I've never heard that expression outside ESL teaching, so I'm not certain, and most English speakers won't know what you're talking about if you say it).
But this is not a hypothetical conditional, but a real conditional (what I think is called "first conditional") that happens to be in the past.
The first form you give
If you knew that yesterday why you didn't tell me yesterday?
is perfectly normal and grammatical.
The second form
If you knew that yesterday why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?
is also grammatical, but has a slightly different meaning. The modal verb "would" has several other meanings apart from its use as a pseudo-tense. Here it either means "why were you not willing to tell me yesterday?"; or else as an epistemic modal, meaning something like "Why could it possibly be the case that you didn't tell me yesterday?"
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
answered Apr 5 at 16:27
Colin FineColin Fine
31.8k24561
31.8k24561
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
add a comment |
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
6
6
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
I think you need to address the flipped word order of "you didn't" and "you wouldn't"
– THiebert
Apr 5 at 18:20
7
7
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
To be clear neither "why you didn't tell me yesterday?" nor "why you wouldn't tell me yesterday?" are correct English.
– DJClayworth
Apr 5 at 18:28
1
1
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
To be more clear, "you didn't" and "you wouldn't" are not grammatical in this context, they should be "didn't you" and "wouldn't you".
– Barmar
Apr 5 at 19:49
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
True. I missed that point.
– Colin Fine
Apr 5 at 21:59
add a comment |
This seems most natural to me:
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
I'm trying to come up with a sentence using 'wouldn't' but they all feel terribly clumsy. These are about the best I can do:
If you knew yesterday, why would you not have told me?
or
If you knew yesterday, why wouldn't you have told me?
I suppose if you had asked someone about something the day before, but they said they didn't know, but then revealed that they did know, you could use this:
If you already knew, why wouldn't you tell me yesterday? (when I asked)
but it's still a bit clumsy, and the 'didn't' form still sounds better to my ear
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?
Are you saying you think they are lying about knowing yesterday?
You could say this in the third conditional:
If you knew yesterday, you would have told me [already/yesterday]
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
add a comment |
This seems most natural to me:
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
I'm trying to come up with a sentence using 'wouldn't' but they all feel terribly clumsy. These are about the best I can do:
If you knew yesterday, why would you not have told me?
or
If you knew yesterday, why wouldn't you have told me?
I suppose if you had asked someone about something the day before, but they said they didn't know, but then revealed that they did know, you could use this:
If you already knew, why wouldn't you tell me yesterday? (when I asked)
but it's still a bit clumsy, and the 'didn't' form still sounds better to my ear
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?
Are you saying you think they are lying about knowing yesterday?
You could say this in the third conditional:
If you knew yesterday, you would have told me [already/yesterday]
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
add a comment |
This seems most natural to me:
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
I'm trying to come up with a sentence using 'wouldn't' but they all feel terribly clumsy. These are about the best I can do:
If you knew yesterday, why would you not have told me?
or
If you knew yesterday, why wouldn't you have told me?
I suppose if you had asked someone about something the day before, but they said they didn't know, but then revealed that they did know, you could use this:
If you already knew, why wouldn't you tell me yesterday? (when I asked)
but it's still a bit clumsy, and the 'didn't' form still sounds better to my ear
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?
Are you saying you think they are lying about knowing yesterday?
You could say this in the third conditional:
If you knew yesterday, you would have told me [already/yesterday]
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
This seems most natural to me:
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
I'm trying to come up with a sentence using 'wouldn't' but they all feel terribly clumsy. These are about the best I can do:
If you knew yesterday, why would you not have told me?
or
If you knew yesterday, why wouldn't you have told me?
I suppose if you had asked someone about something the day before, but they said they didn't know, but then revealed that they did know, you could use this:
If you already knew, why wouldn't you tell me yesterday? (when I asked)
but it's still a bit clumsy, and the 'didn't' form still sounds better to my ear
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question?
Are you saying you think they are lying about knowing yesterday?
You could say this in the third conditional:
If you knew yesterday, you would have told me [already/yesterday]
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
answered Apr 5 at 15:57
SmockSmock
3916
3916
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
add a comment |
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
I am getting your point but my problem is that based on conditional formula if I am using the past verb in the if part, I have to use "would" in the second part but this is against that rule (third conditional formula)
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 16:03
1
1
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
@joegates This is all contingent on how many conditionals you think actually exist: most EFL/ESL teachers would have it as only 3, but there are also mixed forms. Also...you did not invert the subject and verb in the question, making both sentences sound unnatural.
– Cascabel
Apr 5 at 18:32
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f204093%2fif-condition-in-the-past%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
2
If you knew that yesterday why didn't you tell me [then/at the time/yesterday]?
– Smock
Apr 5 at 15:44
thx @Smock but based on third if condition format, if I am using past verb in the if part I should use "would" in the second part , please correct me if I wrong
– joe gates
Apr 5 at 15:48
1
It's not really a conditional statement as there is no statement, only a question. Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. 'If you knew yesterday, you would have told me'.
– Smock
Apr 5 at 16:18
1
The version with would is used when the part that comes after if is hypothetical, as in if one day you realised you didn't love me, would you tell me? In your sentence there is no hypothetical, you are saying you knew yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then? That's why the would does not fit.
– Minty
Apr 5 at 16:36
1
This is not a conditional, so you shouldn't expect it to follow one of the three or four canonical conditional patterns. It can be rewritten as: You knew that yesterday, so why didn't you tell me then. Your alternative version with would is also not a conditional, and means: You knew that yesterday, so why wouldn't you (were you not willing to) tell me then? There are numerous other responses to conditional questions on this site quashing the notion that there are only three or four conditional constructions.
– Shoe
Apr 5 at 19:22