Hello,

1. What would you have done, if a tiger had come before you?

I asked a person about the corectness of this sentence.

He said it is grammatical but strange.

Why is it strange?

Maybe, the person said it was strange because you can use this sentence only when talking about the past:

Example:

(When you were in that jungle,) what would you have done  if a tiger had come [appeared] before you?

Compare the above with the following:

What would you do if a tiger appeared before you?

or

What will you do if a tiger appears before you?

Also, note:

1) I've removed the comma before if (no comma before if-clause rule)

2) I'd use in front of instead of before. However, native speakers should decide which is more natural and common here.

Hope this helps.

MrPedantic wrote:

Hanuman_2000 wrote: Hello, 1. What would you have done, if a tiger had come before you? I asked a person about the corectness of this sentence. He said it is grammatical but strange. Why is it strange? Yes; "to come before someone" is used in contexts such as court appearances, petitions to kings, etc: 1. On January 28 & 29, he came before the commission appointed by Cardinal Pole, and was sentenced to death. 2. And when he came before the king, Yokovrana, where he was received in great honor... Or it can simply mean "to precede": 3. My father and grandfather came here before me. Both senses are strange, in this particular context. MrP

Does that mean that I was right in my previous post (I'd use in front of instead of before. - see the complete post above)? 

Hanuman_2000 wrote:

1. What would you have done, if a tiger had come before you?

This is a conditional statement. Like Nona said, "come before" is not the proper verb to use. Other than that, the tone and grammar are fine.