Esperanto: If Oswald had not shot Kennedy, then someone else would have

[Akasaka]

Hello members,

I am wondering how to use subjunctives in Esperanto. For example, how would you say, "If Oswald had not shot Kennedy, then someone else would have."?

Thanks in advance.

 

[wildan1]

You are talking about verbal moods--and Esperanto has three:

The conditional mood is used for such expressions as se mi povus, mi irus (if I could, I would go) and se mi estus vi, mi irus (if I were you, I'd go).

Source

 

[Akasaka]

Thanks, wildan1.
"Se mi povus, mi irus." is different from "If I could have, I would have gone," isn't it?
I am wondering how to refer to the past, like, the first sentence "If Oswald had not shot ...."

 

[jazyk]

I think it would be:

Se Oswald ne pafintus Kennedy, iu alia pafintus lin.

mi kaptintus
(I would have caught)
Esperanto grammar - Wikipedia

 

[Akasaka]

Thanks jazyk. So in Esperanto you you use the same construction, whether you are talking about the present or past.

 

[jazyk]

No, the present would be with - us: Se mia najbaro pafus sian edzinon, mi telefonus al la polico. If my neighbor shot his wife, I'd call the police.

 

[Akasaka]

Thanks again, jazyk. If so, how do you say, "If my neighbor had shot his wife, I would have called the police."?

 

[jazyk]

With the same structure I suggested in the Kennedy sentence: Se mia najbaro pafintus sian edzinon, mi telefonintus al la polico.