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Pelin
When do you use these sentences?
What's the fifference?
I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.
I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
2025년 11월 22일 오전 6:42
답변 · 2
Hi Pelin,
I second what Daisy said. The first sentence is incorrect, as it mixes time reference. It is the second conditional, the form of which is "If +simple past, then would + simple present, like, "If I had a 10 million dollars, I would travel the world." The first sentence DOES follow the form, but in this particular case, the thing refers to something that was seen in the past, as opposed to using the simple past to indicate a hypothetical situation for the present.
The second sentence is correct, but is known as a mixed conditional. "I wouldn't believe it" is the independent clause of the second conditional, and means that you wouldn't believe the thing based on some previous condition. In this case, that previous condition, "if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," means something that was seen in the past. This is different from using the simple past, as one would normally do in the second conditional, to indicate a hypothetical of not seeing something in the present. More specifically, this second sentence mixes the independent clause of the second conditional with the dependent clause of the third conditional. Mixed conditionals are very challenging and require a firm grasp of the four main conditionals before they can be fully understood.
The third sentence is also correct, as it is the third conditional, also called the unreal past. The form is if+subject+had+third form of the verb then subject+would+have+third form of the verb. Example: "If he had studied harder, he would have passed the exam." It is called the unreal past because the condition for the thing to have happened in the past was not satisfied. He did NOT study harder, so he did NOT pass the test.
Conditionals can be challenging. I wish you the best of luck!
2025년 11월 22일
This is a really good question!
“I wouldn’t believe it” indicates that this is something you believe in the present.
“if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes” indicates that that you saw something in the past.
“I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes” indicates that you saw something in the past which has affected what you believe in the present. In this example the past thing you saw is relevant to the present moment.
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes” is talking firmly about a past event, the emphasis is on what you saw and believed in the past with less relevance to the present moment.
I would argue that the first example is incorrect. If you want to emphasize that the thing you are seeing right now in the present moment is unbelievable I would say:
“I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seeing it with my own eyes”
Best of luck mastering conditionals!
2025년 11월 22일
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Pelin
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