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Reegis Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

"Could" in the present and the past

Could anyone please verify my understanding of the sentences below?

You could show him your appreciation after what he had done for you.
Does it mean that in the past it was possible for him?
Can it be interpreted that it is still possible?

You could show him your appreciation after what he did for you.
Does this sentence mean the same (just does not additionaly emphasize that the second part was earlier)?

You can show him your appreciation after what he has done for you.
Is this sentence the equivalent of the above in the present?
Can I swap can for could here? I think it would be incorrect.

Thanks for help.
  

Top answer

Does it mean that in the past it was possible for him? No; it is a present conditional. Reegis Can it be interpreted that it is still possible?

— Mister Micawber

  • Does it mean that in the past it was possible for him?
  • No; it is a present conditional.
  • Reegis Can it be interpreted that it is still possible?
  • Yes, that is what it means.
  • Does this sentence mean the same (just does not additionaly emphasize that the second part was earlier)?
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15 Answers
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ReegisYou could show him your appreciation after what he had done for you.Does it mean that in the past it was possible for him?
No; it is a present conditional.
ReegisCan it be interpreted that it is still possible?
Yes, that is what it means.
ReegisYou could show him your appreciation after what he
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Mister MicawberNo; it is a present conditional.
Could you please explain what conditional exactly and why do you think so?

As far as I know, there are two present conditionals:
a) Real (so called conditional 0 (or maybe conditional I as well?))
For example: If you heat ice, it melts.
b) Unreal (so called conditional II)
F
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Here is what is implied:

You could show him your appreciation [if you want to now] after what he had done for you.
You could show him your appreciation [if you want to now] after what he did for you.
You can show him your appreciation [if you want to now] after what he has done for you.
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Mister Micawber, how do you know that this is implied? For me, it is far from being intuitive and I would have never thought of it...
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Reegishow do you know that this is implied? For me, it is far from being intuitive
That may be the difference between a native speaker and an L2 speaker, Reegis; or it may be that I've seen this same question dozens of times over the past ten years here.
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So I understand it would be boring for you to explain it again. Then could you please give me a link to some website or a topic here that elaborates upon it? I did my research but surprisingly found nothing... Exactly nothing. Or maybe not so surprisingly since I have never encountered such a thing.
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Reegisit would be boring for you to explain it again.
Not boring at all, but I don't know what to explain. It is what it is. That's probably why you can find nothing on the internet, too.
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Mister MicawberNot boring at all, but I don't know what to explain
Well, taking into consideration that I learn English as my second language, it would be good for me to get familiar with such constructions, especially:
- Get to know when there is something implied in conditionals (be able to recognize it).
- What phrases can be implied. Is if yo
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'Would you please pass the catsup?'
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Well, then every polite request is a conditional sentence - we can always add "if you want to now".
Are there any other types (without would, could, might, etc.)?
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