I could buy it yesterday, wrong?
I just learned that I should not say:
I could buy it yesterday.
but rather use “was able” or “could have”.
At the same time, I have just seen a sentence:
He could help me but he did not.
That is correct?
grammaticality modal-verbs
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
add a comment |
I just learned that I should not say:
I could buy it yesterday.
but rather use “was able” or “could have”.
At the same time, I have just seen a sentence:
He could help me but he did not.
That is correct?
grammaticality modal-verbs
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
add a comment |
I just learned that I should not say:
I could buy it yesterday.
but rather use “was able” or “could have”.
At the same time, I have just seen a sentence:
He could help me but he did not.
That is correct?
grammaticality modal-verbs
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
I just learned that I should not say:
I could buy it yesterday.
but rather use “was able” or “could have”.
At the same time, I have just seen a sentence:
He could help me but he did not.
That is correct?
grammaticality modal-verbs
grammaticality modal-verbs
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
asked 7 hours ago
John VJohn V
454313
454313
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
It depends on context if the subjunctive mood is required or not
If you had already purchased a product yesterday, and today it's not available, then, "I could buy it yesterday," is a statement of fact, and grammatically correct. It could also be written as "I could buy it yesterday and I did."
On the other hand, if you had seen the product yesterday but not bought it, and today it's not available, then, "I could have bought it yesterday," using the subjunctive mood is needed. That is, "I could have bought it yesterday and didn't, and now I cannot."
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
add a comment |
Maybe by some prescriptivist grammars, I could buy it yesterday doesn't work. It probably breaks some rules; lots of things do.
It is, however, absolutely normal in every dialect that I'm familiar with.
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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active
oldest
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
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active
oldest
votes
It depends on context if the subjunctive mood is required or not
If you had already purchased a product yesterday, and today it's not available, then, "I could buy it yesterday," is a statement of fact, and grammatically correct. It could also be written as "I could buy it yesterday and I did."
On the other hand, if you had seen the product yesterday but not bought it, and today it's not available, then, "I could have bought it yesterday," using the subjunctive mood is needed. That is, "I could have bought it yesterday and didn't, and now I cannot."
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
add a comment |
It depends on context if the subjunctive mood is required or not
If you had already purchased a product yesterday, and today it's not available, then, "I could buy it yesterday," is a statement of fact, and grammatically correct. It could also be written as "I could buy it yesterday and I did."
On the other hand, if you had seen the product yesterday but not bought it, and today it's not available, then, "I could have bought it yesterday," using the subjunctive mood is needed. That is, "I could have bought it yesterday and didn't, and now I cannot."
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
add a comment |
It depends on context if the subjunctive mood is required or not
If you had already purchased a product yesterday, and today it's not available, then, "I could buy it yesterday," is a statement of fact, and grammatically correct. It could also be written as "I could buy it yesterday and I did."
On the other hand, if you had seen the product yesterday but not bought it, and today it's not available, then, "I could have bought it yesterday," using the subjunctive mood is needed. That is, "I could have bought it yesterday and didn't, and now I cannot."
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
It depends on context if the subjunctive mood is required or not
If you had already purchased a product yesterday, and today it's not available, then, "I could buy it yesterday," is a statement of fact, and grammatically correct. It could also be written as "I could buy it yesterday and I did."
On the other hand, if you had seen the product yesterday but not bought it, and today it's not available, then, "I could have bought it yesterday," using the subjunctive mood is needed. That is, "I could have bought it yesterday and didn't, and now I cannot."
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
answered 5 hours ago
DrMoishe PippikDrMoishe Pippik
1,23247
1,23247
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
add a comment |
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Just so that this has been said... don't announce that you did things like that unless you know the person enjoys pretending that there's time travel that goes somewhere other than towards tomorrow. There are some people who really hate this.
– Ed Grimm
5 hours ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
Thanks, and what anout “He could help me but he did not“?
– John V
1 hour ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
@EdGrimm But doesn't also depend on the context? What about a sentence: I saw the book in the shop last week already, so he could definitely buy it yesterday.
– John V
19 mins ago
add a comment |
Maybe by some prescriptivist grammars, I could buy it yesterday doesn't work. It probably breaks some rules; lots of things do.
It is, however, absolutely normal in every dialect that I'm familiar with.
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
add a comment |
Maybe by some prescriptivist grammars, I could buy it yesterday doesn't work. It probably breaks some rules; lots of things do.
It is, however, absolutely normal in every dialect that I'm familiar with.
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
add a comment |
Maybe by some prescriptivist grammars, I could buy it yesterday doesn't work. It probably breaks some rules; lots of things do.
It is, however, absolutely normal in every dialect that I'm familiar with.
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
Maybe by some prescriptivist grammars, I could buy it yesterday doesn't work. It probably breaks some rules; lots of things do.
It is, however, absolutely normal in every dialect that I'm familiar with.
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
answered 6 hours ago
SamBCSamBC
4,404321
4,404321
add a comment |
add a comment |
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