In an expression of wish, desires, containing 'If' and 'had', should 'would have' necessarily come after that or simply 'would' would do fine?

Question

Are both of these correct?

"If I had to choose one, I would have to say it's red that I prefer the most among all the colours."
"If I had to choose one, I would say it's red that I prefer the most among all the colours."

If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean
— Lyle Lovett, If I Had a Boat — Ian MacDonald, Oct 26 '18 at 17:06

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 27 '18 at 08:55

1

Both are correct. The first has more of a obligated tone to it, because of the 'have to', and the second simply talks about what action you would take, but both mean the same thing.

answered Jun 27 '18 at 08:55

esu

89

In an expression of wish, desires, containing 'If' and 'had', should 'would have' necessarily come after that or simply 'would' would do fine?

1 Answers1