# 十年前



## fredisaking

十年前，假如我想吃個浪漫的一餐，我通常去Amber's Cafe。

How do you say this in English?

Ten years ago, I would go to Amber's cafe WHEN I wanted to have a romantic dinner. <<< This is definitely ok, but I have a one I don't know works or not.

Ten years ago, IF I wanted to have a romantic dinner I would go to Amber's cafe . <<< Is this OK? It sounds like present subjunctive, which makes hypotheses about present, not ten years ago. Try covering ten years ago and read again, you'd know what I am talking about. I am hoping by adding that ten years ago, the sentence might be ok. What do you think?

This is truly a big question, if you don't know what I am trying to convey I can explain more. Ask away if you need to!


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## Lamb67

If I had wanted to have a romantic dinner ten years ago, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe.
In reality, you have never been there, havn't you ?


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## Kevin70s

There's a slight bit of ambiguity in the Chinese expression. I would've reworded it as follows to be reconciled with the English given by Fredisaking:
十年前，需要找个浪漫的地方进餐的时候，我通常（会）去Amber's Cafe。


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## Lamb67

_Whenever I felt like going out for a meal 10 years ago, I would normanlly go to Amber's Cafe._


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## fredisaking

Lamb67 said:


> If I had wanted to have a romantic dinner ten years ago, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe.
> In reality, you have never been there, havn't you ?


 
Actually, I've been there, like a lot, I went there a lot, it was always like that until I moved.

So, I've seen your posts, guess this sentence
Ten years ago, if I wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would go to Amber's Cafe.
messes with grammar, leading people to get the time wrong? 
Strangely, I think it's ok...loosely speaking...


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## Lamb67

That's correct to me because the past simple tense of ' wanted' could mean repeat aspect of the verb i.e ' I wanted' not only for one time but maybe several times. The sense of having been there is fully implied here If( copy of thefreedictionary.com)
_conj_
*1*. in the event that, or on condition that: _if you work hard you'll succeed_.


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## chajadan

Your second sentence sounds perfectly fine in English, fredisaking. You are right, it seems like a present hypothetical without the "ten years ago" part, but with it we understand that you tended to go there whenever you happened to feel like it.


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## fredisaking

chajadan said:


> Your second sentence sounds perfectly fine in English, fredisaking. You are right, it seems like a present hypothetical without the "ten years ago" part, but with it we understand that you tended to go there whenever you happened to feel like it.


 
Hey, chajadan, you just solved a very bugging question for me. Really appreciate that. But I designed this question for a reason: to get you familiarized with my second question. 

_"Ten years ago, if I wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would go to Amber's Cafe."_ 
_"Ten years ago, if I had wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe."_

Is there a tone difference between the two? Like one is for past habitual while the other is for a less possible situation. Or there are certain rules while most don't care so they use'em both. I suspect it's not that complicated though.


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## Lamb67

Your first sentence means going to Amber's Cafe is your choices--It is uncertian whether you went there or not.( a bit different from my previous post, I should have said that 'your wanting' is habitual rather than 'going to'.) Give 50 percent chance to' going to there'.
The second sentence means ' wanting to have' is unreal- you never fancied a romantic dinner. If ever, Amer's Cafe was your choice.
#4 Post 'whenever'+'felf like' are used to stress on your habitual aspect of 'wanting to go'. Shall I say that it is about 80 percent possiblity of your going there? 
The readers perhaps need to follow your writting to know the verdict. For example just add a bit more words like' I really liked the service there' to both your first sentence and my suggested translation in #4 Post.


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## patrick_socal

fredisaking said:


> 十年前，假如我想吃個浪漫的一餐，我通常去Amber's Cafe。
> 
> How do you say this in English?
> 
> Ten years ago, I would go to Amber's cafe WHEN I wanted to have a romantic dinner. <<< This is definitely ok, but I have a one I don't know works or not.
> 
> Ten years ago, IF I wanted to have a romantic dinner I would go to Amber's cafe . <<< Is this OK? It sounds like present subjunctive, which makes hypotheses about present, not ten years ago. Try covering ten years ago and read again, you'd know what I am talking about. I am hoping by adding that ten years ago, the sentence might be ok. What do you think?
> 
> This is truly a big question, if you don't know what I am trying to convey I can explain more. Ask away if you need to!



IMHO, a native speaker would use the second sentence as you have written it and would be clearly understood.
There would be no confusion about time.
Very good writing.

Patrick.


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## patrick_socal

Lamb67 said:


> Your first sentence means going to Amber's Cafe is your choices--It is uncertian whether you went there or not.( a bit different from my previous post, I should have said that 'your wanting' is habitual rather than 'going to'.) Give 50 percent chance to' going to there'.
> The second sentence means ' wanting to have' is unreal- you never fancied a romantic dinner. If ever, Amer's Cafe was your choice.
> #4 Post 'whenever'+'felf like' are used to stress on your habitual aspect of 'wanting to go'. Shall I say that it is about 80 percent possiblity of your going there?
> The readers perhaps need to follow your writting to know the verdict. For example just add a bit more words like' I really liked the service there' to both your first sentence and my suggested translation in #4 Post.


 
Hi Lamb67,

I know that a technical analysis of the language here might come to these conclusions, but in actual everyday spoken English both sentences convey the thought that the speaker went to Amber's on occasion.
In practice neither is a hypothetical, the person is elaborating on the thought 
"I used to go to Amber's".
Sometimes technical grammar and everyday usage are not the same, I think this is true in any language, no?

Patrick.

Apologies to Lamb67.
I was looking at the original two sentences.
I think he is correct about the sentence 

_"Ten years ago, if I had wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe."_

being a more hypothetical expression.

About the first sentence

_"Ten years ago, if I wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would go to Amber's Cafe."_ 

I would still have a different opinion, I think it describes something that the speaker "used to do".

Patrick.


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## patrick_socal

fredisaking said:


> Hey, chajadan, you just solved a very bugging question for me. Really appreciate that. But I designed this question for a reason: to get you familiarized with my second question.
> 
> _"Ten years ago, if I wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would go to Amber's Cafe."_
> _"Ten years ago, if I had wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe."_
> 
> Is there a tone difference between the two? Like one is for past habitual while the other is for a less possible situation. Or there are certain rules while most don't care so they use'em both. I suspect it's not that complicated though.


 
Hi fredisaking,

Yes, I think you understand correctly.

_"Ten years ago, if I had wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe."_

This is a more hypothetical expression.
I may or may not have gone to Amber's and I may or may not have wanted to have a more romantic dinner.

And as fredisaking correctly said

_"Ten years ago, if I wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would go to Amber's Cafe."_ 

would describe a past habitual activity.  You would say this if you had visited Amber's often and gone there for romantic dinners.  

(Again my opinion only, from everyday usage rather than expert grammatical analysis.)

Patrick


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## chajadan

"Ten years ago, if I had wanted to have a romantic dinner, I would have gone to Amber's Cafe."

That sentence sounds to me like a guarantee that you didn't go there. Ten years ago, you didn't want to have a romantic dinner, but if you had, you would have gone to Amber's Cafe to have it.


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## fredisaking

Gee, if I hadn't been living in the U.S. for a while, I wouldn't understand any of what you said. Pheeeeeeeeeewwww. Thank y'all!


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