What does this sentence mean?
What a fool I was to do it!
I think it means either of them below according to context.
1.I was a fool that I was going to do it!
2.I was a fool that I did it!
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2 Answers
Your recastings are not idiomatic
What a fool I was to do it
is a very emphatic way to say
I was a fool to do it
or
I was foolish to do it
or
It was foolish of me to do it.
All are simply admissions of having done something foolish.
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Does that my recastings are not idiomatic mean they are also grammatically incorrect? I don't see what's wrong and have no ideas why you think of them as not idiomatic. I can find some similar sentences used by authors who seem to be native speakers.– GKKCommented May 30, 2019 at 23:13
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@Floret Yes, it means they are grammatically inaccurate. There is also: I was such a fool to do it, which I am sure Jeff will agree with.– LambieCommented May 30, 2019 at 23:24
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@Lambie actually, your revised version sounds way better than mine. But I still can't see anything wrong in them.– GKKCommented May 30, 2019 at 23:27
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1
The second one is correct in the past tense, the infinite phase does not affect the tense.
Present:
"What a fool I am to do it since I know he's lying."
Future:
"What a fool I'll be to do it if he continues to lie."
