ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE
LINGUISTICS & CULTURE
PORTUGUESE
LINGUISTICS & CULTURE
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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE LINGUISTICS & CULTURE |
| Autor: | Dale-USA |
| E-mail: | dale_thomas2004@yahoo.com.br |
| Data: | 16/MAR/2011 10:43 PM |
| Assunto: | "Could have come" |
| Mensagem: |
As spoken: "I used to teach English as a second Language. You could have come to Sydney and I would be your teacher."
The problem is with "I would be your teacher". It is in the conditional, implying a future possibility, a possibility that could take place if certain conditions had been met in the past. But there is no future in the sentence. There is only a possibility in the past. The student did not go to Australia and there are no indications that he may go some day. The sentence would have been fine if she had said "I would have been your teacher" or "I could have been your teacher."
Look at it another way, in the present or immediate future: "If you come to Australia, I could be your teacher." - No problem. "If you come to Australia, I would be your teacher." - No problem.
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English Made in Brazil -- English, Portuguese, & contrastive linguistics
"Could have come" – BrunoGaspar 
16/MAR/2011, 3:22 AM "Could have come" – Dale-USA 16/MAR/2011, 6:03 AM "Could have come" – Teacher 16/MAR/2011, 1:38 PM "Could have come" – Oicram_Oiroso 16/MAR/2011, 3:40 PM "Could have come" – Dale-USA 16/MAR/2011, 4:58 PM "Could have come" – What about 16/MAR/2011, 10:18 PM 
"Could have come" – Dale-USA 16/MAR/2011, 10:43 PM could have come – BrunoGaspar- 17/MAR/2011, 3:46 PM