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Jing Qian
Professional TeacherMay I ask how to correct this sentence “If I watched that movie, I would not have known Jackie Chen and his team.” Thank you very much
Nov 29, 2023 4:09 PM
Answers · 11
2
I think it should be:
“If I HADN'T watched that movie, I would not have known Jackie Chen and his team.”
November 29, 2023
1
Hi Jing,
Tim's correction is exactly right. I'll just add that this construction is called the third conditional. Something didn't happen (or in this case did happen) in the past, so something else didn't happen (or in this case did happen) as a result.
November 29, 2023
There are circumstances in which the sentence is correct. Suppose the person DID watch the movie. In that case the sentence is plausible. Here’s a simpler example. Suppose I went to the grocery store. When I come home my wife asks me “did you buy carrots?” Rather than answer her directly I reply “Do you really think if I went to the store that I would have forgotten to buy carrots?”
November 29, 2023
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Jing Qian
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Other), English, Portuguese, Spanish
Learning Language
English
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