If you were lying to the police, then you have been an accessory after the fact for all these years. 你若对警察撒了谎,那么你这些年来就一直犯事后包庇罪。
这个句子条件状语从句用的是过去进行时,但主句用的是现在完成时,这样的时态搭配合理吗?谢谢老师!
记得这个句子好像在英语答疑网曾提出过,但没有找到。所以特请教各位专家!
If you were lying to the police, then you have been an accessory after the fact for all these years.
【原译参考】
你若对警察撒了谎,那么你这些年来就一直犯事后包庇罪。
【本人试译】
要是当初你是在向警察撒谎的话,那么你这些年来就一直在犯事后包庇罪。
【参考解析】
1. 咱们都知道,现在完成时表示“过去的事件,现在的结果”,即其沟通了过去与现在。实际上在具体的行文中,它也起到一种沟通过去及现在的桥梁作用。如下文张道真《英语语法大全》721. 3上的两个句子:
He decides not to go to the office, for he has been very tired. He was sleepless many nights. The doctor advised him to take more rest, but he did not listen to him. (现在—现在完成—过去—过去等等)
He wrote many novels. He has been famous in this country. He is now teaching Korean literature in college. He can tall you everything about
2. 咱们还都知道一般过去时与过去进行时的基本区别,一个表事件的完成性,一个表事件的未完成性。因此,原译似乎是不妥的。这里使用过去进行时的原因主要是因为其有时表示“强调事件的重要性”,再一个原因是其未完成性的用法这里与if条件句连用,增加了说话者对该事件发生的不确定性。
张道真《英语语法大全》752 . 9节说:强调动作的重要性(参阅712节):
We were losing our good friends.
It was merely wasting our time and money.
I was simply doing what I should do.
综上,该句话的意义为:你之前要是真的在对警察撒谎的话,那你就摊上大事了。(撒没撒谎意义重大啊,我可是宁愿你没这样做。)
▲问题解答:
这样的时态搭配合理。
1. 正如English老师所说,从句中的 were lying 可以表示“多次撒谎”或“总是撒谎”;但更大的可能是表示“当时(强调当时时间的特定性)在撒谎”。另外,从句部分也可以用过去时(lied),不过用过去时就不能表示“特定的场合进行着的动作”这一意味。
2. 主句的完成时表示已经是一个“事后从犯(法律术语,它不同于犯罪过程中的从犯)”,而且从开始撒谎以来一直是个事后从犯。
▲老外观点(节选):
老外1(印度佬):I understand the sentence as referring to a series of lies that occurred on more than one occasion. That's probably why "were lying" was used.
In the second part, "you have been" is correct - the present perfect continuous shows that the person was an accessory after the fact and continues to be one.
老外2(英国佬):there's nothing to show repeated lying or lying over a long period of time. It's normal use of the continuous form(进行式): When you said something, you were lying to the police (on that occasion), then...
With the simple past form(过去式) it sounds somehow more vague (模糊的)and less likely to refer to one particular occasion: If you lied to the police (at some time in the past) , then you have been an accessory after the fact for all these years. 这句中,老外的意思是进行时更能表示特定场合发生的动作。
(如果看不懂英语的话,请继续提问。)
▲参考翻译:
If you were lying to the police, then you have been an accessory after the fact for all these years.
1. 如果你之前老是向警方撒谎,那么这么多来,你就是一个“事后从犯”。(这种意思可能性较小。)
2. 如果你当时是在对警方撒谎,那么这么多年来,你就一直是个“事后从犯”。(这种意思的可能性很大。)
▲要点总结:
总之,从句的进行时表示当时"在撒谎"这个事实,主句完成时表示一种"状态的延续"(注:完成时也可以表示动作或状态的延续, 翻译为汉语的话可以加上“一直”。如,he has been a teacher since he graduated.)。Hope it helps.Good luck to you.