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Perfect Stranger Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Would or would have

Hi,

Would you please have a look at this sentence?

You know buddy, I just hit 28, my birthday was just a few days ago as a matter of fact and it just makes me wonder what to do with my life in the long run. I've been here for over a year making more money then I would have made/would make in my country but on the other hand I just don't feel any personal development here.

Please let me know which one is better and why. If there are any other things you'd change to make this sentence more native-like... please feel free to do that.

Thank you
  

Top answer

Here is a revision: You know buddy, I just hit 28. As a matter of fact, my birthday was just a few days ago and it just makes me wonder what to do with my life in the long run. I've been here for over a year making more money than I would make in my country, but, on the other hand, I just don't feel as though I am experiencing any personal development here.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Here is a revision: You know buddy, I just hit 28.
  • As a matter of fact, my birthday was just a few days ago and it just makes me wonder what to do with my life in the long run.
  • I've been here for over a year making more money than I would make in my country, but, on the other hand, I just don't feel as though I am experiencing any personal development here.
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16 Answers
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Here is a revision:

You know buddy, I just hit 28. As a matter of fact, my birthday was just a few days ago and it just makes me wonder what to do with my life in the long run. I've been here for over a year making more money than I would make in my country, but, on the other hand, I just don't feel as though I am experiencing any personal development here.
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Thanks!

So... I suppose native speakers would consider I just don't feel any personal development here as a non-native sentence?

Anyways, could you tell me why would have made isn't correct in that sentence? Isn't the speaker referring to a certain period of time, in the past?
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Perfect StrangerAnyways, could you tell me why would have made isn't correct in that sentence? Isn't the speaker referring to a certain period of time, in the past?
It is not incorrect. I chose the present because of the present participle, making, which is in closer proximity and also closer in meaning than the main verb.

I just don't f
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Perfect Strangerwould have made/would make
Both are possible, depending on what you have in mind.

I've been here for more than a year making more money than I would make in my country if I were there right now.
I've been here for more than a year making more money than I would have made in my country if I had been there a
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Aspara GusI've been here for more than a year making more money than I would have made in my country if I had been there all this time.
OH! That's exactly what I wanted to express! I wanted to say that I'd have made less money in the same period of time being in my country. So I guess would have made might be better here? I'm talking about the pe
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Perfect StrangerSo I guess would have made might be better here?
In your case, yes.
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Thx AsparaGus,

One more thing. Is there any difference between ...I have made here and I made here ? It's the second part of my conditional sentence.
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Perfect StrangerIs there any difference between ...I have made here and I made here ?
There is no real difference here. The present perfect (have had made) is more appropriate in this context. You needn’t worry about that, though, since your original structure is better than your new one, in which the if-clause may be understood:
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May I know why would make is correct and would have made isn't since in both the cases the person is imagining something?
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fatimah0786May I know why would make is correct and would have made isn't since in both the cases the person is imagining something?
Did you read this in A-Gus's reply?

Both of these are correct:

I've been here for more than a year making more money than I would make in my country if I were there right no
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