Problem in recognizing conditional

Question

Are there any mistakes in this sentence? Could you please tell me is this sentence in 2nd conditional? Does it indicates the present or future?

If John thought Hafiz was too confident that he (John) would always be capable of answering, he (John) would say this "don't count on me being able to answer all your questions."

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Hasibrahmanany mistakes in this sentence? ...
If John thought Hafiz was too confident that he (John) would always be capable of answering, he (John) would say, ~~this~~ "Don't count on me being able to answer all your questions".

As shown.

Hasibrahman Problem in recognizing conditional

Yes. I see your problem. It's not immediately clear that the woulds are not conditional woulds but woulds of past habit. The clue is "would always be capable".

HasibrahmanCould you please tell me is this sentence in 2nd conditional?

In my opinion it is not, even though the pattern of verb tenses seems to indicate 'second conditional': If John thought ..., he would say ....

The second conditional is about an imagined situation in the present or in the future, but this is about real habits in the past.

Yes, there is a way of forcing your mind to think this is about an imagined situation and its future consequences, but as I read it, that's not what the writer intends to convey, so it's just not a plausible second conditional.

CJ

[ This is the first case I've seen of a sentence with the pattern of a second conditional which is not actually a second conditional in meaning. Interesting find! ]

Problem in recognizing conditional

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