If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.(来自母语人士的推特)
我见有人分析为,主句是与事实情形相同的虚拟语气。并且提出: 虚拟语气可以谈论与事实相同的情形!
有两点不太明白的地方
1,如果一个复杂动词用了虚拟语气,那么它所管辖的宾语从句应该用什么样的动词形式?是不是不用理会虚拟语气,只受动词时态的影响,比如
even if i knew i will be /am
even if i had know i would be/ were
2, 我觉得这个句子的主句we would do it all again, 实际上也就是过去将来时。等于是,他先用从句把时间限制到过去,然后再用过去的视角看将来。
那就不等于是在主句用了陈述语气吗?这样合理吗?
If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.
我认为这个句子的主句应改为would have done it all again.
这句话是亚马逊创始人和妻子离婚声明中的一句话。意为如果我们能够穿越时间隧道回到25年前,知道我们在25年后会分手,我们也会再次结婚的。这是与事实相反的假设。事实是我们无法回到25年前,所以我们不可能知道25年后我们会分手,我们也不可能再结婚一次。
The fact is that we couldn't know we would separate after 25 years, so we couldn't have married once again.
Thus the counter-factual statement should be:
If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would have done it all again.
英语是母语的人也难免会因为疏忽而出现口误,尤其是比较复杂的结果。正如中国人说汉语也难免会出现语法错误。
even if i knew i will be /am
even if i had know i would be/ were
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