Why Did Eric Clapton Use The Word Saw And Not See?
The song “Tears in heaven” by Eric Clapton..
In the song he says “Would you know my name, if i SAW you in heaven”.
Why did he use the word SAW and not SEE?
My boss is a grammar freak and would not STFU about this. Can someone please tell me the reason why SAW was used and not SEE?
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This sentence is an example of a Future Unreal Conditional. The Future Unreal Conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the future, and is indicated by the use of ‘if’ and ‘would’. It uses present plus past subjunctive (simple past tense).
Would you know (present) my name, if I SAW (past subjunctive/simple past) you in heaven?
The present tense, SEE, is only used with a Future Real Conditional. This is indicated by using ‘if’ and ‘will’.