[Grammar] I would have preferred to have shown you what this road is like ...

[kadioguy]

(From a video on Youtube)

I would have preferred to have shown you what this road is like when the sun is shining and it's much nicer.

[At 4:22]

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Why does he say "to have shown you"? Why not just "to show you"?

a. I would have preferred to have shown you what this road is like ....

b. I would have preferred to show you what this road is like ....

The man says (a), because he has shown us what this road is like at that time (i.e., we have seen it through this video). Is that right?

 

[emsr2d2]

They're both possible. I'd use "I'd have preferred to show you ..."

 

[jutfrank]

I could give you a very long answer about what I think was going on in his head at the moment of producing his utterance but I'm not sure that's necessary.

Suffice to say that I think that the simpler sentence b. does the trick just as well as sentence a., for which reason I think it's better. I should say, though, that sentence a. is quite natural.

 

[Tdol]

It is no longer warm and sunny- the form he uses, though it is not necessary, gives the idea that the season he prefers has ended.

 

[5jj]

I'll change the verb to make examples simpler.

1. I would like (now) to show you ... (now or in the future)
2. I would like (now) to have shown you ... (in the past) - this may have a similar meaning to I regret that I did not show you.
3. I would have liked (in the past) to show you ... (at that past time)

Many people use use two perfect forms:

4. I would have liked to have shown you ...

when a purist would say, depending on what exactly they wish to say. either #2 or #3.

To the purist, this is incorrect, because #4 expresses a similar meaning to I regretted (in the past) that I had not shown you ... (at an earlier past time). However, many people use these 'incorrect' two perfect forms, which is what the person in your clip has done.

 

[jutfrank]

3. I would have liked (in the past) to show you ... (at that past time)

Would you agree that to show you may refer to future time as well?

 

[5jj]

Would you agree that to show you may refer to future time as well?

Yes.

I did not think of that when I submitted my last post, but your question made me realise that it's possible.

 

[kadioguy]

I'll change the verb to make examples simpler.

1. I would like (now) to show you ... (now or in the future)
2. I would like (now) to have shown you ... (in the past) - this may have a similar meaning to I regret that I did not show you.
3. I would have liked (in the past) to show you ... (at that past time)

Many people use these two perfect forms:

4. I would have liked to have shown you ...

when a purist would say, depending on what exactly they wish to say. either #2 or #3.

To the purist, this is incorrect, because #4 expresses a similar meaning to I regretted (in the past) that I had not shown you ... (at an earlier past time). However, many people use these 'incorrect' two perfect forms, which is what the person in your clip has done.

So, do you mean that the person in the clip wants to mean (2) or (3), while he is using these two perfect forms of “I would have preferred to have shown you ... (which is incorrect to a purist)”?

 

[5jj]

So, do you mean that the person in the clip wants to mean (2) or (3), while he is using these two perfect forms of “I would have preferred to have shown you

#3.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thinking about it again, I would probably say "I would prefer to have shown you ...". I think I would probably talk about my preference (now) of an action I had already taken. Of course, you can get around this by saying "I wish I had shown you ...".