Conditional Sentence

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eagerness  #555948  Sun, 17 Aug 08 10:19 PM
Please tell me if the below sentence is grammaticaly correct. I am from Germany and have been studying English for a year now. I don't know why but I can't seem to undersand the way conditional sentences are structured. Any advice or suggestion would be very much appreciated.

If they knew that they won't need my help, why did they even ask me to come?  This is what I said to a friend of mine. I am not sure if I should have replaced WON'T with WOULDN'T.

Thank you in advance for your help and time.


  
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MrPedantic  #555963  Sun, 17 Aug 08 11:29 PM

Hello E.,

Both versions sound fine to me.

The version with "won't" relates to a current situation. For example, perhaps yesterday, they asked you to come to an event today. You are at the event; but they don't need your help. You are wondering why they asked you to come to the event, since they clearly won't need your help.

The version with "would" could relate to the same situation, or to a situation in the past.

Thus with the first version, it's clear that the situation is still current; but the second version is ambiguous, in that respect.

Best wishes,

MrP

 

  
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eagerness  #555973  Mon, 18 Aug 08 12:41 AM
Thank you so much for your swift response. However, I would have one more question. I hope you don't mind me asking it. Would structure of my sentence remain the same if I was going to tell it to someone else the day after it actually happened?

Best regards,

Eagerness
  
CalifJim  #556043  Mon, 18 Aug 08 07:26 AM
eagerness
the day after it actually happened
Then it's wouldn't.

Though some variation is possible in the right situation, the typical groups of tenses that go together in the same sentence are:

Present perfect - Present - Future of the Present (will) - Most modal verbs, including can, may, must, should

OR 

Past Perfect - Past - Future of the Past (would) - could, should, might

CJ 

 

  
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MrPedantic  #556309  Mon, 18 Aug 08 11:16 PM

Yes, my vote is for CJ's "wouldn't".

MrP

  
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