Would have

Question

if you had arrived sooner, you would have missed the train. After seeing this sentenc me my response is as below.

I would have thought: if you had arrived later, you would have missed the train.
Does the first part of sentence 'I would have thought:...' have a implied if clause? If yes, could you give me an example? Thanks.

Englishmaven · Accepted Answer

I don't understand the question. Can you clarify it? Where do you think the "if" clause would be? Are you including the part "I would have thought"? I'm really confused by this post of yours. Probably it is just me. If it is clear and obvious, I apologize. I just don't understand what you are asking.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousI would have thought (it was):

~ It seems to me that the following is the correct sentence:

AnonymousDoes the first part of sentence 'I would have thought (it was):...' have a implied if clause?

Not really. It's more like a weaker way of saying "The sentence should be like this:" ("tentative would")
_________________

We often use "would" instead of "is" or "are" to soften what we are saying, especially when telling someone they are wrong, or when we are not sure of what we are saying, or if we are asking a favor.

softening ~ weakening ~ being tentative ~ being polite

All of these things are related.

CJ

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