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would and tense

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fab54

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Hello,
I have a little doubt about the tense of the "if" clause, which one of the following phrases is correct :

1) It would be nice if we have dinner tomorrow
2) It would be nice if we had dinner tomorrow

Thanks for your help

PS: The context for the sentence could be that I'm trying to ask somebody out
 

izabela

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Hi,

#2 is correct.

Iza

fab54 said:
Hello,
I have a little doubt about the tense of the "if" clause, which one of the following phrases is correct :

1) It would be nice if we have dinner tomorrow
2) It would be nice if we had dinner tomorrow

Thanks for your help

PS: The context for the sentence could be that I'm trying to ask somebody out
 

RonBee

Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2003
Member Type
Other
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Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Of course, you could say:
  • I would like to have dinner with you tonight.

:)
 

MikeNewYork

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Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
fab54 said:
Hello,
I have a little doubt about the tense of the "if" clause, which one of the following phrases is correct :

1) It would be nice if we have dinner tomorrow
2) It would be nice if we had dinner tomorrow

Thanks for your help

PS: The context for the sentence could be that I'm trying to ask somebody out

Sentence #2 fits the normal pattern for a second conditional. However, "would" has many uses other than the pure conditional use. As an expression of expectation or presumption, the use of "would" in sentence #1 with an "if" clause in the present tense is acceptable, IMO.
 
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