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0If I read this post of yours 10 years ago, I would agree [to] only half of it. Not that I [would mean/meant] to disagree with you but believe it or not, cultural differences are huge.02br02br003 questions:02br02br001. I believe 'to' is needed, am I right?02br02br002. Which choice is correct, would mean or meant?02br02br003. Are there any mistakes?02br02br00Thanks in advance!0-

Tanit · Accepted Answer

0 Hi,02br
02br
00I think the 3rd conditional (or maybe also a mixed conditional) would be a better choice, since you didn't read that post ten years ago, did you?02br
01i02br
00If I had read ... ten years ago, I would have agreed ...02br
00If I had read ... 02i00ten years ago, 01i00I would now agree ...02br
02br
02i00(Just my opinion)02br
02br
00Other more knowledgeable members will answer your questions 050010id1

New2grammar · Answer

0I think you're right. For some reason, my heart prefers the present tense(unreal)? I know it contradicts with "10 years ago"02br
02br
00It would be fine if without a time in the past, for example,02br
02br
00If I read my daugther's diary, I would intrude her privacy.02br
02br
00Let's say my daughter is 8 years old.02br
02br
00If I'd read my daugther's diary 10 years ago, I would have intruded her privacy02br
02br
00This doesn't make sense to me at all. One thing is she wasn't born ten years ago. Another is I don't see why we want to mention it in the past. Is this not a good example to compare with what I have orginally.?0-

Yankee · Answer

0I agree with Tanit that the third conditional would be appropriate.02br
01i00If I 01b00had read02b00 this post of yours 10 years ago, I 01b00would have agreed 01font00with02font02b00 only half of it. Not that I 01b00would have meant02b00 to disagree with you but...02i0-

New2grammar · Answer

0I've finally figured out why my heart prefers the second conditional to the third. The post didn't exist before today! so how can you read something that did not exist before now?02br
02br
00To me, it sounds like 02br
02br
01i00If I had shaken Bill Clinton's hand 1000 years ago, ...02i02br
02br
00He wasn't even born at that time. 02br
02br
00On contrary, the following is fine with me:02br
02br
01i00If I had kissed her five years ago, she would have been my wife02i00. (referring to a high school girlfriend)02br
02br
00She was physically available for me to kiss her five years ago but I didn't kiss her.0-

Yankee · Answer

0I think you're right. For some reason, my heart prefers the present tense(unreal)? I know it contradicts with "10 years ago". 01font00 The third conditional is also unreal in that you would always be referring to something that did not happen.02font02br
02br
00It would be fine if without a time in the past, for example,02br
02br
00If I read my daugther's diary, I would intrude her privacy.02br
02br
00Let's say my daughter is 8 years old.02br
02br
00If I'd read my daugther's diary 10 years ago, I would have intruded her privacy02br
02br
00This doesn't make sense to me at all. One thing is she wasn't born ten years ago.01font00 If you want to get overly technical, you could go to the trouble of saying "01i00If my daughter had been 8 years old ten years ago and I had read her diary at that time, I would have been intruding on her privacy02i00." 02font00 Another is I don't see why we want to mention it in the past. Is this not a good example to compare with what I have orginally.? 01font00Again, the third conditional is 01u00never02u00 "real". 02font0-

New2grammar · Answer

0I agree with you. Thanks Tanit and Yankee. Now, it all makes sense. I think I'm too tired to think. I've done enough damage. I'd better turn in now and when I get up, I'll reread these posts again. Hopefully they will still make sense. Good night! Thanks again!0-

Yankee · Answer

0 Sweet dreams, N2G. 02br
02br
00(By the way, it's still daylight here.)0-

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