[Grammar] Regarding past subjunctive "I would have loved to do something"

[Teodoro]

Dear teachers:
I read a sentence, which showed "I would have loved to play against so-&-so, but I don't think I have played with him a lot." It was quoted from an interview.
After looking into a grammar book, I got to knowing would+have+past participle will reflect on something that is opposite to the true fact, or indicates a hidden emotion different from what the speaker was talking about in public.
Thus, the quoted sentence might be understood as an implied expression that the speaker disliked to play against so-&-so indeed.
In order to avoid misunderstanding what other people really think about, could you please tell me how to use "would +perfect tense+to" correctly? Thanks in advance for your time, effort & kind help.
student Teodoro

 

[sergeyrais]

I guess, the expression " would love to do sth" is a milder form of "want to do sth", and the Perfect Infinitive after would refers the intention to the past. So, the analitical form "would+Perfect Infinitive" cannot be considered here as the means of expressing unreality in the past. It's just the coincidence of forms.

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, Teodoro. :hi:

"I would have loved to play ..." denotes a past, counterfactual situation. The situation did not occur. "I would have loved to play football for England (but I just wasn't good enough)"

Your sentence from the interview makes little sense - "I would have loved to play against so-&-so, but I don't think I have played with him a lot." Either the speaker did play against the other person, in which case the first half of the sentence makes no sense, or he didn't, in which case the second half makes no sense.[/QUOTE]

 

[emsr2d2]

I wonder if the important thing in the original piece is the difference between playing against someone and playing with them. Perhaps he never got the opportunity to play on the opposing team to XXXX, and he only played on the same team as XXXX a few times.