问英语｜英语常见问题解答

would have done¹

问

What would I not have given to be able to say the rules without a mistake!（许国璋《英语》第2册，p.176）

请问这里为什么用虚拟语气？

答

动词不定式除了表示真实的条件之外,也可以表示与现在事实相反的虚拟条件和与过去事实相反的虚拟条件。当动词不定式表达与过去既成事实相反的虚拟条件时,句子的谓语动词要采用 would (should) + 完成时不定式。上面句子里的 to be able to say... 表达的就是与过去既成事实相反的假设:要是当时我能够一字不差地把这些规则说出来……(既成事实是:我未能一字不差地把这些规则说出来……)。

She would have done anything to make amends. 要是当时能够赔偿的话,她是什么事都愿意干的。
When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and uncertain—that I was a new boy in a huge school, and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem. (NCE, 4, L. 6) 我十几岁时，总感到自己很小，茫然无知——就好像一所大学校里的新生。假如那时我被看作是一个难以对付的人物而惹人注目的话，那么，我是会感到非常得意的。(to be regarded... 表达的是一个与过去事实相反的假想条件)

would have done²

问

He would have reached New York.

这是否可以理解为省略了非真实条件句的主句:如果……他就到达纽约了。

答

可以作这样的理解。对于这样的结构，大部分英语学习者都是很熟悉的。但是，人们常常忽略了它的另一种解释：would 不是用于构成虚拟语气，而是用于表达“推测”（“也许”“想必”“大概”“可能”）（参见 would $^{15}$ ）。因此，可以把这个句子理解为：

他现在可能(大概)已经到达纽约了。

would have done³

问

I often wondered what he and they would have made of their lives if they had been born into my generation or my daughter's. (B. Clinton, My Life, p. 15)

[原译]我常常想,如果他们出生在我或我女儿这个年代,将会在自己的一生中做出怎样一番事业。(《我的生活》, p. 14)

请问这里的 would 具有将来时的意味吗？

答

would have done 用于虚拟语气的主句时, would 丝毫没有将来时的意味。would have done 仅仅表示在假设的条件下过去应产生的结果。

[试译]……他们在自己的一生里会做出来怎样的一番事业。

would have done⁴

问

Gradually, many women who were otherwise inclined to support me seemed willing to accept my vision to stay with Bill, even if they would have chosen differently. (Hillary, Living History,

断地，许多妇女似乎愿意接受我维系婚姻的决定，虽然她们会有不同的选择。

would like to do/doing(?) 1744

(希拉里,《亲历历史》,p.452)

译文“虽然她们会有不同的选择”，似乎是指“她们在此之后会有不同的选择”。原文是指这个意思吗？

答

译者误解了 would have chosen 的含义,因而把原文中的时间关系搞错了。would 在这里表示说话人的推测,可以译为“可能”。would have done 则表示“过去可能做了某事”,而不是表示“将会去做某事”。

[试译]渐渐地,许多倾向于支持我的人似乎愿意接受我不离开比尔的决定,尽管以前她们曾做过与此不同的选择。