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Alexander
Is the sentence “Your safety would depend on how close you were to the animals” correct? I think “Your safety would depend on how close you would be to the animals” sounds more natural because there is no condition in the second part
May 1, 2026 4:35 AM
Answers · 2
1
There is a condition. You can rephrase to find it. If you were far from the animals, you would be safe. If you were close to the animals, you would not be safe.
May 1, 2026 5:27 AM
1
Great question — this is a subtle but important point! The original sentence is actually correct:
"Your safety would depend on how close you were to the animals."
In English, after verbs like *depend on, matter, vary* in conditional structures, we use the past simple (were, had, knew) rather than would be in the second part. This is the standard second conditional pattern:
would + verb → past simple
So "how close you would be" sounds logical but isn't how native speakers structure it. The "were" is doing the conditional work here, not "would."
Hope that helps!
May 1, 2026 4:50 AM
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Alexander
Language Skills
English, Ukrainian
Learning Language
English
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