Even if + would not have

Question

Every gate was closed and barred and heavily guarded, though; no one was allowed to enter or depart the castle without Lord Bolton’s leave. Even if he found some secret way out, Theon would not have trusted it. He had not forgotten Kyra and her keys. And if he did get out, where would he go?
(A Dance with Dragons, novel)

Hi. For the underlined sentence, I wonder what the difference is between the two versions?

1.Even if he found some secret way out, Theon would not have trusted it

2. Even if he had found some secret way out, Theon would not have trusted it

How should I understand 1, which is neither a third conditional nor a mixed conditional?

Thank you.

RPinPA · Accepted Answer

For me #2 implies that he looked for a secret way out but did not find one.

#1 says to me that he was thinking it is not even worth looking, because he would not trust anything he finds, so he didn't bother looking. An equivalent would be "Even if he were to find some secret way..."

I'm not sure what to call those grammatical structures.

CalifJim · Answer

zuotengdazuoHow should I understand 1, which is neither a third conditional nor a mixed conditional?

Actually, it's a mixed conditional.

I understand it as a third conditional where the writer made a little slip of the pen.

CJ

Even if + would not have

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions