[Grammar] 'If you love me, I will get married to you"

[sky3120]

I have learned that we have to use present tense verbs in dependent clauses such as when, if ,after, etc although the meanings imply the future situations, like

When I meet him again, I will ask him for help.

Then, in this sentence, 'If you love me, I will get married to you", the meaning of 'you love me" is that you will love me or you love me now?

I really hope that I made my point clear. Thank you so much as usual and have good day.

 

[emsr2d2]

I have learned that we have to use present tense verbs in dependent clauses such as when, if ,after, etc although the meanings imply the future situations, like

When I meet him again, I will ask him for help.

Then, in this sentence, 'If you love me, I will get married to you", the meaning of 'you love me" is that you will love me or you love me now?

I really hope that I made my point clear. Thank you so much as usual and have good day.

If you love me, I will marry you = If it is true that you love me now, then I will marry you in the future.

It would not make sense to suggest to someone that they might love you in the future, however hopeful you might be of that.

 

[BobK]

:up: To convey a slightly different meaning (in which the loving happens in the future) you still use the simple present but add another verb: 'If you grow to love me, I will marry you.'

b

PS It seems to me that this is no basis for a lasting relationship though ;-)

 

[sky3120]

Thank you so much and this is so new to me, so I am a little bit shocked now. Could you take a look at this?

1) If you are hungry, we can order something to eat. (This question is about a current state)

2) If he comes later, I will talk to him. (This is about a future happening)

Is this correct? Thank you so much as usual and have a good day.


P.S "If I am proven rude, I will apologize to you." ( This is about a current state or a future happening, you think?)

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you so much and this is so new to me, so I am a little bit shocked now. Could you take a look at this?

1) If you are hungry, we can order something to eat. (This question is about a current state)

2) If he comes later, I will talk to him. (This is about a future happening)

Is this correct? Thank you so much as usual and have a good day.


P.S "If I am proven rude, I will apologize to you." ( This is about a current state or a future happening, you think?)

They are both correct, but the construction in sentence 2 is simply an example of how we use the present tense to talk about the future (the use of the word "later" after "he comes" is a clue).
It is not the same as the construction in sentence 1 where "If you are hungry" refers to the present time. If you added the word "later" to sentence 1, it would refer to the future and you wouldn't have to change "If you are hungry".

"If I am proven rude, I will apologise" also refers to the future in the first half. It's clear that the person has not yet been proven rude, so effectively it means "If I am proven rude in the future, I will apologise when that happens".

Try this one for the use of the present tense to refer to the present time, followed by the future:

If you think I am rude, I will apologise.

 

[sky3120]

Great!!! And thank you so much!!! Could I ask one more related to this grammar?

"If I am rude, I will apologise to you"

Is the sentence possible? If so, this is about a current state or a future happening? I think that the sentence is somewhat weird. What do you teachers think? Thank you so much as usual.

 

[BobK]

Great!!! And thank you so much!!! Could I ask one more related to this grammar?

"If I am rude, I will apologise to you"

Is the sentence possible? If so, this is about a current state or a future happening? I think that the sentence is somewhat weird. What do you teachers think? Thank you so much as usual.

I agree that it's 'somewhat weird'. The apology you're suggesting might be thought to be rather inadequate (my RC 'teachers' used to talk about 'a firm purpose of amendment'). It's rather like saying 'I will spray the room with machine-gun fire and if I kill you I will go to your funeral.' ;-)

b