Hello I always struggle with past perfect and present perfect and I was hoping if you could help me.
Mel was begging A. to take her with him because her boyfriend Jeff was studying in Princeton and if all went well, she would like to surprise him.
Mel was begging A. to take her with him because her boyfriend Jeff was studying in Princeton and if all went well, she would have liked to surprise him.
The conditional perfect, would have, refers to a missed opportunity or unfulfilled desire in the past.Note that this is often followed by an reason.For example:
2.I would have completed my project.(Reason:but there was no electricity)
"Would like " is used to mean "want"(It refers to 'desire' in a polite way)For example:
I would like to drink coffee.(It refers to present desire of the speaker)
I would have liked to drink coffee.(It refers to the past desire of the speaker which wasn't fulfilled)
"Would have liked" also carries a sense of a past intention.For example:
If there had been a piece of cake, I would have liked it.('I would have liked' here refers to the intention of the speaker which was in the past)
There is a piece of cake, I would like it (It refers to the present desire of the speaker)
Conclusion: Having studied about 'would like' and would have liked', I can say 'would have liked' is grammatically correct in the context You have provided.so,It should be:
"she would have liked to surprise him."
See http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/would-like See https://www.grammarly.com/answers/questions/1559-i-would-like-or-i-would-want/
@Nikol ! There is no 'past perfect' and 'present' perfect in your context rather you are asking about 'would have liked' which isn't a past perfect. It's called' perfect conditional'.In your context there is two clauses: "If this thing happened, that thing would have happened" This is a mixed conditional sentence That's why, "If all went well,she would have liked to surprise him."
Here, "If all went well" is If clause(condition) "She would have liked to surprise him" is main clause.(result)
It means "If all went well(present unreal situation)she would have liked to surprise him(unreal past)
(All isn't good at present,she didn't like to surprise her)
(Note that these kind of conditional sentence indicate past result of present situation and it's all about imagination)
For some examples:
1.If I were a good cook,I would have invited them to launch. (I'm not a good cook at present,I didn't invite them to launch) 2.If She loved me,I would have married her. (She doesn't love me at present,I didn't marry her)
