0
Habibaelgindy Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Is it possible?

If+past perfect,would have+past participal

Is it possible to put past simple instead of the past perfect? and why?
I've seen a lot of people doing that but I want to now why because I know that there are only type0,1,2,3
  

Top answer

I understand you are asking about sentences like: If I had seen him, I would have said hello. If I saw him, I would have said hello. The first one is a counterfactual: you didn't see him and you didn't say hello.

— GPY

  • I understand you are asking about sentences like: If I had seen him, I would have said hello.
  • If I saw him, I would have said hello.
  • The first one is a counterfactual: you didn't see him and you didn't say hello.
  • The second one is not a counterfactual.
  • You don't remember whether you saw him or not.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
I understand you are asking about sentences like:

If I had seen him, I would have said hello.
If I saw him, I would have said hello.

The first one is a counterfactual: you didn't see him and you didn't say hello. The second one is not a counterfactual. You don't remember whether you saw him or not.
0

Related Questions