The difference between two sentences....
I'd like to know the difference between these two sentences.
Is there any different nuance whether or not to use "would"..

1.I thought that he was telling the truth,but i really don't know.

2.I would think that he was telling the truth,but i really don't know.

Thank you very much in advance....

Question

The difference between two sentences....
I'd like to know the difference between these two sentences.
Is there any different nuance whether or not to use "would"..


1.I thought that he was telling the truth,but i really don't know.

2.I would think that he was telling the truth,but i really don't know.


Thank you very much in advance....

Answer

Sentence 1 is correct and is exactly how a native speaker would write/speak.
Sentence 2 is incorrect.  However, you sometimes will hear native speakers say this instead:

Sentence 2: I would have thought that he was telling the truth, but I really don't know.

There is really no difference in meaning between the two versions, but sentence 1 is more grammatically correct whereas sentence 2 would only be used in spoken English.

Answers · 2

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