Which sentence is correct

Question

What would have you done if you had had more time?
What would you have done if you had had more time?

or

What would have you done if you have had more time?
What would you have done if you have had more time?

And explain why please.

Thanks.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Mercyful_fateWhat would have you done if you had had more time?
What would you have done if you had had more time?

or

What would have you done if you have had more time?
What would you have done if you have had more time?

In my opinion, only the second one is correct: What would you have done if you had had more time? .

The question order, "What would have you done?" is incorrect. (But we say, "What have you done?")

The other issue has to do with the tense in the second pair. The having of more time precedes the doing.

It's a strange situation. If you say, "What would you have done had you not run out of time?" the running out of time would still precede the hypothetical thing which you might do.

There's also a slight ambiguity about the decision making. Do you mean that if you knew before you started that you had more time, you would have planned the task differently? Or do you mean that since you ran out of time you were unable to complete the task as originally planned?

CalifJim · Answer

Mercyful_fateexplain why please

Invert only the subject and first verb of several when making the question form.

Statement: You would have done ...
Question: Would you have done ...? / What would you have done ...? / When would you have done ...? / Where would you have done ...? / ...

Similarly:

They had been taking a nap.
Had they been taking a nap? / Where had they been taking a nap? / When had they been ...?

Everything after the first verb is in the same order in both the statement and the question form.

CJ

Mercyful_fate · Answer

I meant if he knew before he started that he had more time. Can you tell me the difference between the first and second suggestion?

CalifJim · Answer

Mercyful_fate~~What would have you done if you had had more time?~~
What would you have done if you had had more time?

or

~~What would have you done if you have had more time?~~
~~What would you have done if you have had more time?~~

As shown, only one of the four is grammatically correct. The other three are wrong.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

AvangiThere's also a slight ambiguity about the decision making.
Do you mean that if you knew before you started that you had more time, you would have planned the task differently?
Or do you mean that since you ran out of time, you were unable to complete the task as originally planned?
Mercyful_fateI meant if he knew before he started that he had more time. Can you tell me the difference between the first and second suggestion?
If this is what you're referring to, I probably shouldn't have brought it up. Both interpretations are possible with the correctly composed sentence.
I only mentioned it because my explanation of why you shouldn't use the present perfect tense in your last pair of examples seemed to open up the question.

What would you have done if you had had more time? .
I suppose conditionals are a special case, but we often say that the past perfect ("had had," in this case) requires a simple past tense reference. What would you have done when? I suppose the "would" represents the simple past.

The thing you "did" was a process spread out over time. The reference point could be at the beginning of the process or at the end, depending on your meaning of "done."

If you had known in the beginning that the available time was greater, you would have proceeded differently.

If you hadn't run out of time at the end, what you accomplished would have been different.

The verb "to do" has many meanings.

Which sentence is correct

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