WOULD EXPECT
SENTENCES:

1. If I had insulted my boss yesterday, I [WOULD EXPECT] to be fired by tomorrow. But I didn't insult my boss yesterday, so I don't expect to be fired by tomorrow.

2. If we hadn't gotten a flat tire 10 minutes ago, we [WOULD EXPECT] to arrive in London before 6:00. But we got a flat tire 10 minutes ago, so we don't expect to arrive in London before 6:00

QUESTION:

Does [WOULD EXPECT] work in my two sentences?

Question

WOULD EXPECT
SENTENCES:

1. If I had insulted my boss yesterday, I [WOULD EXPECT] to be fired by tomorrow. But I didn't insult my boss yesterday, so I don't expect to be fired by tomorrow.

2. If we hadn't gotten a flat tire 10 minutes ago, we [WOULD EXPECT] to arrive in London before 6:00. But we got a flat tire 10 minutes ago, so we don't expect to arrive in London before 6:00

QUESTION:

Does [WOULD EXPECT] work in my two sentences?

Answer

Both sentences are examples of mixed conditionals.  Good work.  They are both correct.

See https://www.englishpage.com/conditional/mixedconditional.html for more.

Answer

The first is completely correct.

The second case should be [WOULD HAVE EXPECTED] because something changed in the past, so the expectation you have now has changed as a result. Still, I think anyone would understand you if you used what you wrote.

I'm trying to think of the exact reason that the two cases are different. I think because (1) is a hypothetical and nothing has changed, but (2) causes a change which makes you need to explain how your expectation was changed by the past.

If you're trying to learn these differences, your English must be great already!

Answers · 4

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