If he didn't say hello sentences

[Rachel Adams]

Are these conditonal sentences? Are they correct?

1. "If he didn't say "hello", he couldn't have seen you".

2. "If he didn't say "hello", he couldn't see you."

3. "If he hadn't said "hello", he couldn't have seen you."

4. "If he hadn't said "hello", he couldn't see you."

 

[emsr2d2]

Are these conditional sentences? Are they correct?

1. "If he didn't say "Hello", he couldn't have seen you". :tick:

2. "If he didn't say "Hello", he couldn't see you." :cross: Wrong tense in the second half.

3. "If he hadn't said "Hello", he couldn't have seen you." :cross: "If he hadn't said hello" means that he did say "Hello".

4. "If he hadn't said "Hello", he couldn't see you." :cross: Same reason as #3.

emsr2d2

 

[Rachel Adams]

emsr2d2

How do I change them into conditional sentences? I mean the 2 3 and 4 sentences? Is the first sentence a conditional sentence? The first sentence is also a negative sentence. The other sentences are also negative but why are they wrong?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

None of them look good to me. The tenses are all very confusing. I would say: "If he didn't say hello, he didn't see you." That's a simple if/then sentence.

In those sentences, quotation marks are not needed around "hello." However, if you feel compelled, for some reason, to put quotation marks around something someone did not say, then at least capitalize "Hello."

 

[Rachel Adams]

None of them look good to me. The tenses are all very confusing. I would say: "If he didn't say hello, he didn't see you." That's a simple if/then sentence.

In those sentences, quotation marks are not needed around "hello." However, if you feel compelled, for some reason, to put quotation marks around something someone did not say, then at least capitalize "Hello."

What is the name of this structure? Do I understand the sentence correctly the person said Hello and that's why the other person saw him/her. How do I recognize this construction in other sentences? My book Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan mentions the same construction but the situation is different "I couldn't have won, so I didn't go in for the race." "Negative sentences suggest that somebody would not have been able to do something even if they have wanted or tried to."

 

[Tdol]

You could use he mustn't have seen you.

 

[Rachel Adams]

You could use he mustn't have seen you.

Is "can't have seen you" also correct in the first sentence?
1. "If he didn't say "Hello", he can't have seen you".

 

[5jj]

It is.

 

[GoesStation]

1. "If he didn't say 'Hello', he can't have seen you".

Alternate quotation-mark types when you nest quotations.

 

[jutfrank]

What is the name of this structure?

Sentence 1 (the correct one) is called a conditional sentence.

If he didn't say hello [This is a real conditional clause. It means that he didn't say hello.]

... he couldn't have seen you. [This is a logical deduction based on a past fact.]

The whole sentence can be paraphrased like this: He didn't say hello. Therefore, he didn't see you.

Do I understand the sentence correctly the person said Hello and that's why the other person saw him/her.

No, you've misunderstood the meaning of the sentence. See my explanation above.

How do I recognize this construction in other sentences? My book Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan mentions the same construction but the situation is different "I couldn't have won, so I didn't go in for the race." "Negative sentences suggest that somebody would not have been able to do something even if they have wanted or tried to."

You're trying to understand something that is above your current level. You should start by looking at more simple conditional sentences.

 

[probus]

You could use he mustn't have seen you.

Only in British English I think. It sounds a bit odd in AmE.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Sentence 1 (the correct one) is called a conditional sentence.

If he didn't say hello [This is a real conditional clause. It means that he didn't say hello.]

... he couldn't have seen you. [This is a logical deduction based on a past fact.]

The whole sentence can be paraphrased like this: He didn't say hello. Therefore, he didn't see you.



No, you've misunderstood the meaning of the sentence. See my explanation above.



You're trying to understand something that is above your current level. You should start by looking at more simple conditional sentences.

Could you tell me what type of conditional sentence it is?
And if the person did actually say Hello which type of conditional sentence should be used in the following sentence? For example, he said Hello and that's why I saw him. "If he hadn't said Hello I would not have seen him."
If I use mixed conditional sentences as in "If I didn't have my walking boots on, I think I would have really hurt my foot". As a simple past is sometimes possible why can't I say "If he didn't say Hello I would not have seen him". Meaning he did say "Hello" and that's why I saw him.
The sentence about boots is from Swan's "Practical English Usage".

 

[5jj]

The sentence about boots is from Swan's "Practical English Usage".

He adds the comment "Sometimes a simple past is used with if where a past perfect would be more normal. I recommend that you stick with the more normal.

He also says "This is more common in American English". I would say that it is unnatural in BrE.

 

[Rachel Adams]

He adds the comment "Sometimes a simple past is used with if where a past perfect would be more normal. I recommend that you stick with the more normal.

He also says "This is more common in American English". I would say that it is unnatural in BrE.

Yes, I understand that, but in if the person did say Hello and that's why the other person saw him wouldn't this construction work?
1. "If he didn't say/hadn't said "Hello", he couldn't have seen you."

 

[emsr2d2]

If he didn't say "Hello", he can't have seen you. (You told me he didn't say "Hello" and I'm trying to explain why.)
If he hadn't said "Hello", I'd have been very surprised. (You told me that he did say "Hello" and I'm expressing my lack of surprise that he said it.)

If he hadn't said "Hello", he couldn't have seen you. :cross:

 

[Rachel Adams]

If he didn't say "Hello", he can't have seen you. (You told me he didn't say "Hello" and I'm trying to explain why.)
If he hadn't said "Hello", I'd have been very surprised. (You told me that he did say "Hello" and I'm expressing my lack of surprise that he said it.)

If he hadn't said "Hello", he couldn't have seen you. :cross:

Which type conditional sentence is this sentence "If he didn't say Hello he couldn't/can't/must not have seen you?" Is this the third type?

 

[emsr2d2]

Which type of conditional sentence is [STRIKE]this sentence[/STRIKE] "If he didn't say "Hello", he couldn't/can't/must not have seen you"? Is [STRIKE]this[/STRIKE] it the third type?

It's an implicative conditional. (If one thing is true, then another thing must be - or is very likely to be - true.) Have a look at this article.