infinitive vs perfect infinitive

Question

Hi,What is the difference in meaning btw:1. I'd have liked to go there.2. I'd have liked to have gone there.ThanksQuoc

J Lewis · Accepted Answer

I prefer (1) or, as an alternative, I'd like to have gone there. I suppose there's a shade of difference, but in practice they mean the same.
(2) contains a kind of double past, a repetition. I don't think it really expresses a different concept, it's just clumsy.

Marius Hancu · Answer

Nice points by J. Lewis.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Interesting - I have the opposite preference.

I would have liked to have gone there sounds better to me. At that time, I would have liked that... at that time, I would have gone there if I could.

Tung Quoc · Answer

Hi Greek,

Could you tell me the difference in meaning, in temporal order btw go and have gone and would have liked in these 2 sentences?

I can't distinguish them now.

Quoc

J Lewis · Answer

To go is a present infinitive; to have gone is a past infinitive.
Would like is present; would have liked is past.

A present infinitive is timeless. To take another example, if we use want in the present, we say I want to go. In the past we say I wanted to go. The difference in tense of want is enough to make it clear.

To go back to the original example, I would like to go is clearly present. In the past, with would like we need a past infinitive: I would like to have gone. But if we use the past form would have liked, I don't see the need to add another past. It's a question of style and opinion, I don't think it's wrong to use a double past, just unnecessary.

If we want to make a pedantic distinction,
I would like to have gone means that I would feel pleasure now at the idea of having gone there yesterday
I would have liked to go means that I would have have felt pleasure yesterday at the idea of going then
I would have liked to have gone means that I would have felt pleasure yesterday at the idea of having gone there the day before.
Pure pedantry, though!

Clive · Answer

Hi Jonathan,

Pure pedantry, though!

Gee, I just got through explaining these distinctions in another thread! My theory is that everybody else indulges in pedantry and I offer nice distinctions. You probably feel the same way.

Best wishes, Clive

Inchoateknowledge · Answer

Hi TH,

It has been answered already. And this is not the first time you have asked a question more than once, although it had been answered.

Marius Hancu · Answer

J LewisIf we want to make a pedantic distinction,

I would like to have gone means that I would feel pleasure now at the idea of having gone there yesterday

I would have liked to go means that I would have have felt pleasure yesterday at the idea of going then

I would have liked to have gone means that I would have felt pleasure yesterday at the idea of having gone there the day before.

We wantyou to make a pedantic distinction and your vote is counting

Anonymous · Answer

0 Incho, i don´t think it was fully answered. Thre should be a talked over again. 0-

BarbaraPA · Answer

0 So what questions remain in your mind? 0-

infinitive vs perfect infinitive

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