Learn English – Using “knew” and “didn’t” in present tense writing

past-tensepresent-tense

The sentence is:

I wonder sometimes if he even knows what 'fun' means, but I guess he wouldn't be in Harvard if he didn't.

Or is it "… if he doesn't"?

And at the front portion, is it "if he even knew" or "if he even knows"?

Best Answer

I wonder sometimes if he even knows what 'fun' means, but I guess he wouldn't be in Harvard if he didn't.

This use of didn't is not the past tense. It is the subjunctive mood.

The subjunctive mood expresses hypothetical or imaginary situations. Often in the subjunctive mood we use the past tense form of a verb even when discussing events that might occur in the present or near future.

For example,

I would go to the play if my favorite actor was performing

or

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

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