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- Hello dear friends, Have ever thought about this: you want to speak the second foreign language you learn with the native speakers who have come to your city but they speak English pretty well, so it is time-saving for all to speak English. You ask them to speak their language but you realise that it is hard for you and subconciously you start switching to English saying, "Ok, I need to study more, so next time you come, we can talk your language". You keep speaking it in your head, check the translation with chat GPT but whenever you meet those foreigners you stick to English knowing that it is more convenient for all. Have you experienced anything like this? How did you overcome your prejudices and fears?Feb 5, 2026 11:05 AM01
Thank you, Michael and Ramona. I absolutely agree with you. I asked this question because I do understand that if it happened in the past and we hypotheticaly express our sorrow or whatever, then the Past Perfect is used or would+the Perfect infinitive. But as you said, Michael "<font size="5">when an unreal past situation would have had an effect on your current </font><font size="5" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">activity</font><font size="5">, you use the continuous tense form "would be + -ing".</font>
<font size="5">The answer given in the Teacher's Book disoriented everybody. </font>
<font size="5">And there are people in another chain who say that it should be "If someone had told me that washing dishes by hand uses more water, I would have used the dishwasher more".
</font>That's what made me doubt about the only possible variant that the book gave.0 votedSeptember 12, 20180Thank you, Chris but there is another similar situation
One more situation:
We bought a cheap dishwasher that wasn't very efficient. As a result, we use a lot more water than we need to.
The answer:
"If we hadn't bought such a cheap dishwasher, we would use much less water. "
But they already use more water. Following this logic, we should say "we would have used less water".
What about this situation? Why do they use Conditional 2 in the answer in the last part?0 votedSeptember 12, 20180- Hello Rebecca, The correct one is a) for number 1 because you like doing it generaly, it's your habit and for this purpose we use the imperfective aspect, when the verb answers the question "Что делать?" in Russian: I like doing what? - I like buying souvenirs: Мне нравится покупать. It's general. If you have the wish to buy something in this trip, you may say that I want to buy souvenirs in this trip and in this case you would use "купить" - the verb in the perfective aspect, which answers the question "что сделать?" : I want to do wahat? - I want to buy souvenirs. It's specific, concrete. As to question 2, you can use both but for different situations and with little changes. a) Я должна (not должена) оплачивать мои счета (счёт - счета in the plural). Again we speak about duties, habits and actions in general. Every month I have to pay the bills. б) Я должна оплатить (not платить) мои счета. This is the concrete situation. Now you have to do it. You have the bills and you have to go and pay them. Hope, my explanations will help. Best, Anna0 votedSeptember 12, 20183
- Mixed Conditionals: a mistake or correct? Dear native speakers of English, I have a question to you. In one of the famous coursebooks of the Upper-Intermediate level I have found this task: Make conditional sentences based on the information in these situations. 1. I don't use the dishwasher much, because no one told me that you use more water washing dishes by hand. I would answer like this: If someone had told me that washing dishes by hand uses more water, I would use the the dishwasher more (the Past Simple is used in the last part because it is related to the present life and from time to time I use it). But The Techer's Book gives the answer like this: If someone had told me that washing dishes by hand uses more water, I would have used the the dishwasher more. The question is why we use would + the Perfect infinitive in the last part? The situation is about the present, not about what could have happened in the past. Look forward to your ideas impatiently!One more situation: We bought a cheap dishwasher that wasn't very efficient. As a result, we use a lot more water than we need to. The answer: "If we hadn't bought such a cheap dishwasher, we would use much less water. " But they already use more water. Following this logic, we should say "we would have used less water". What about this situation? Why do they use Conditional 2 in the answer in the last part?September 12, 201870
- Mixed conditionals: a mistake or correct?
Dear native speakers of English, I have a question to you. In one of the famous coursebooks of the Upper-Intermediate level I have found this task:
Make conditional sentences based on the information in these situations.
1. I don't use the dishwasher much, because no one told me that you use more water washing dishes by hand.
I would answer like this:
If someone had told me that washing dishes by hand uses more water, I would use the the dishwasher more (the Past Simple is used in the last part because it is related to the present life and from time to time I use it).
But The Techer's Book gives the answer like this:
If someone had told me that washing dishes by hand uses more water, I would have used the the dishwasher more.
The question is why we use would + the Perfect infinitive in the last part? The situation is about the present, not abou what could have happened in the past.
Look forward to your ideas impatiently!
September 12, 2018101 - Developing Fluency in English Hi everyone,
I'm looking for a native speaker to practice speaking in English. I'm an advanced learner. In turn I can speak Russian to you:)
I'm interested how you develop your fluency when you speak the language. When you have reached level B2 or even C1, what do you do to become fluent?June 3, 201851
