You would have preferred to have/have had joined me though.

[eyefordetail]

You would have preferred to have joined me though.

or

You would have preferred to have had joined me though.


Thanks

 

[bhaisahab]

You would have preferred to have joined me though.

or

You would have preferred to have had joined me though.


Thanks

The first one is not a natural sentence. The second one is wrong.

 

[BobK]

:up:

Ask yourself: What was the preference? -> to join him.

'You would have preferred to join me though' is quite possible - in the appropriate context.

b

PS (for the non-fence-sitters): I know there's a tendency to reduplicate perfects meaninglessly in sentences like this; I can't for the life of me think why. ;-)

 

[5jj]

I know there's a tendency to reduplicate perfects meaninglessly in sentences like this; I can't for the life of me think why.

It's very common with 'would like':

1. I would like (now) to have been there (then).
2. I would have liked (then) to be there (then)
3. I would have liked (then) to have been there (previously).

#3 is often used when #1 or #1 would be more appropriate.

 

[Barb_D]

I wonder if this is another one of those American differences. The versions with "have" in the second part sound very natural to me.

 

[emsr2d2]

I would use either:

I would have preferred to join him.
I would prefer to have joined him.

 

[BobK]

But they mean different things. Each is right in its place. Sometimes one's preference at some time in the past may differ from what - now - one would have preferred.

'I would have preferred to keep my cool, but I'm afraid I lost my temper.'
'I would prefer to have kept my cool; it would have been more adult.'

The distinction is slight, but sometimes I think it's worth making. ;-)

b

 

[emsr2d2]

But they mean different things. Each is right in its place. Sometimes one's preference at some time in the past may differ from what - now - one would have preferred.

'I would have preferred to keep my cool, but I'm afraid I lost my temper.'
'I would prefer to have kept my cool; it would have been more adult.'

The distinction is slight, but sometimes I think it's worth making. ;-)

b

Yes. I should have said that the two sentences refer to preferences which were present at different times. I was just making the point that I would put "prefer" with "to have joined" and "have preferred" with "to join", but not the two perfects in the same sentence.