0

I'm not sure why, but I don't really feel like

I had been training for years before I could do that jump


I know how the past-perfect works, and for example

I had been training for years when I finally did that jump

sounds perfect.

So, do you think the first sentence is correct? I found an example for could that says:

She ​walked off before I could say anything.

Does it use the past-simple (walked) because the action is clearly before, or because it's actually describing a situation that happened at the same time?

Maybe if it had been had walked, it would have meant that she wasn't there when he almost started to talk?

1 Answer 1

1

Both sentences are correct.

I had been training for years before I could do that jump

To my ear and brain, the focus in the sentence is on the time it took to train for the jump.

I had been training for years when I finally did that jump

Whereas in this sentence, it is more on the event of finally performing the jump.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .