I thought you were/are Indian.

[Ashraful Haque]

1. "I thought you were/are Indian." - I asked this question in a different thread and was told that it should be 'were.' I didn't think much about it but now I'm starting to wonder whether we use 'were' here because I thought he was Indian but he turned out to be Mexican. And if that's the case what if I guessed his nationality right? Would I say "I thought he is Mexican and I am right"?

2. I go somewhere and find out that one of the people left- "I thought she was/still here."

3. "We had some bad experience in the past as some of our customers didn't know how to use this machine." - I'm confused between didn't and don't.

 

[5jj]

I asked this question in a different thread

Please give us a link to this thread. It will be useful for us to see what has already been said on this subject before we comment now,

 

[Tdol]

I'd say I thought he was Mexican and I was right as you're referring to a past event- the thought. The problem here is the verb thought. In reported speech, I'd say he said he is Mexican if I thought it was likely to be true. I'd be more likely, but not exclusively, to say he said he was Mexican if I had since learned otherwise.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

I'd say I thought he was Mexican and I was right as you're referring to a past event- the thought. The problem here is the verb thought. In reported speech, I'd say he said he is Mexican if I thought it was likely to be true. I'd be more likely, but not exclusively, to say he said he was Mexican if I had since learned otherwise.

I was talking to a customer and said- "It's just that we had some bad experience in the past as some of our customers didn't/don't know what dried flowers were."

I said 'didn't' and I think I was right. They complained and we explained to them what dried flowers are, so now they know.
If I'm correct. Would it be 'don't' if we didn't explain to them what dried flowers are?

 

[jutfrank]

Right.

 

[FalaGringo]

1. "I thought you were/are Indian." - I asked this question in a different thread and was told that it should be 'were.' I didn't think much about it but now I'm starting to wonder whether we use 'were' here because I thought he was Indian but he turned out to be Mexican. And if that's the case what if I guessed his nationality right? Would I say "I thought he is Mexican and I am right"?

2. I go somewhere and find out that one of the people left- "I thought she was/still here."

3. "We had some bad experience in the past as some of our customers didn't know how to use this machine." - I'm confused between didn't and don't.

"I thought you were Indian."
You may still be indian now but we use the past here.

Another example for you...
"I thought you had a brother"
You may still have a brother now but again, we use the past here.

"I thought she was still here."
You found out that she wasn't there after thinking that she was.

"I didn't know how to use this machine."
You didn't know in that exact moment before or after using the machine.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

"I didn't know how to use this machine."
You didn't know in that exact moment before or after using the machine.

Does it indicate anything about the present? Does it mean that I know how to use it now?

What confuses me is whether I should use the present tense even when talking about the past if it's still true in the present. For example:
A: Were you the one who ran over my dog last year?
B: I didn't even know how to drive!

If I'm not mistaken, this sentence does indicate that now I know how to drive.

 

[5jj]

If you want help from us, please give help to us:

Please give us a link to this thread. It will be useful for us to see what has already been said on this subject before we comment now,

 

[FalaGringo]

Does it indicate anything about the present? Does it mean that I know how to use it now?

What confuses me is whether I should use the present tense even when talking about the past if it's still true in the present. For example:
A: Were you the one who ran over my dog last year?
B: I didn't even know how to drive!

If I'm not mistaken, this sentence does indicate that now I know how to drive.

Yes it does indicate that you now know how to use it.
A is correct
B is correct

I didn't even know how to drive.
I didn't know I knew how to drive.

In some cases we conjugate in the past even when the statement is true to the present.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

Yes it does indicate that you now know how to use it.
A is correct
B is correct

I didn't even know how to drive.
I didn't know I knew how to drive.

In some cases we conjugate in the past even when the statement is true to the present.

I was talking to a 25-year-old guy who sounded like a teenager to me at first. So when he told me his age I said-
"I though you were younger."

I don't think 'are' would sense here.

 

[Tarheel]

I was talking to a 25-year-old guy who sounded like a teenager to me at first. So when he told me his age I said-
"I though you were younger."

I don't think 'are' would make sense here.

It wouldn't.