e2efour

Senior Member

It’s a matter of personal choice whether you say I was waiting or I’d been waiting.

Besides the phrases I gave, I might also say «How do you/could you expect me to have known that?»

By the way, we don’t use your word opponent in this way. We would have to say the person asking the question.

HumbleUser

Member

e2efour

Senior Member

Forero

Senior Member

Looking at your original question, it looks as though you answered it yourself in Post #1. «How could I have known it?» does not mean that it was impossible for me to know it at that moment in the past. It suggests it was impossible at that moment in the past for me to have known it (already).

To know it at a particular moment in the past is to have knowledge of it at that time, but to have known it is to have already had knowledge of it before that time. I hope this makes sense.

Compare to present tense:

If I say «I know it», that means I have knowledge of it in the present, but it says nothing about the past.
If I say «I have known it», that means I have had knowledge of it before the present.

Now for the two sentences in your second context. In relation to the present, the meaning may be the same. The difference, if any, is in the vantage point or points in the past that the speaker has in mind. The first may be referring to knowledge at the time you were waiting and the second may be referring instead to prior knowledge about you:

How could I know you were waiting?
How could I have known you would be waiting?

It is hard to pin down the meaning(s) of these sentences because could is quite ambiguous in terms of tense and I cannot tell from your context what exactly «it» is or to what moment in the past you are referring.

«How would I know» vs. «How can I know»

How would I know her age without asking?

How can I know her age without asking?

3 Answers 3

Both are correct, but the meaning is quite different.

How would I know her age without asking?

which is saying you can’t determine (in your mind) her age; to know you would have to ask her. It regards an intuitive ability.

How can I know her age without asking?

which is like saying «How can I (find out) know her age without asking? This is more of a technical question; what process can I follow. It is a how-to question.

They are both correct grammatically, but «How would I know?» on its own is by far the more common turn of phrase. «How can I know. » isn’t particularly awkward, nor does it break any idiomatic rules, though, as far as I’m aware.

In this situation, I think the meanings between the two sentences are virtually the same. However, «can» is usually used when you’re asking if something is possible, but «would,» when referring to other people, depends on the person and is asking what actions they will perform if they were to do something.

For instance «How can he do it?» is a question of what possible ways a man has of doing something. «How would he do it?» is a question of what way that man in particular will choose if he is to do the task. Sometimes, «would» is used interchangeably with «can» in colloquial conversation, especially when referring to one’s self.

How could I know I would have to leave you?

How could I know I would hurt you so?

You were the one I was born to love!

Oh, how could I ever know?

How could I ever know?

How can I say to go on without me?

How, when I know you still need me so?

How can I say not to dream about me?

How could I ever know?

How could I ever know?

Can you forgive me

And hold me in your heart

And find some new way to love me

Now that we’re apart?

How could I know I would never hold you?

Never again in this world, but oh

Sure as you breathe, I am there inside you

How could I ever know?

How could I ever know?

How can I hope to go on without you?

How can I know where you’d have me go?

How can I bear not to dream about you?

Oh, how can I let you go?

How could I ever know?

Is there in the garden!

All I would ask…

Is care for the child of our love!

Come, go with me, safe I will keep you

Where you would lead me

There I would, there we would

There we will go

Oh! How could I know?

Tell me how could I know?

Never to know you would ever leave me!

How could we know?

How could I ever know?

Перевод песни How Could I Ever Know?

Как я мог знать, что мне придется оставить тебя?

Откуда мне было знать, что я причиню тебе такую боль?

Ты была единственной, кого я рожден любить!

О, как я могла узнать?

Как я могла узнать?

Как я могу говорить: «продолжай без меня»?

Как, когда я знаю, что я все еще нужна тебе?

Как я могу не мечтать обо мне?

Как я могла узнать?

Как я могла узнать?

Ты можешь простить меня

И удержать в своем сердце,

И найти новый способ любить меня

Теперь, когда мы расстались?

Как я мог знать, что никогда не обниму тебя?

Конечно, пока ты дышишь, я внутри тебя.

Как я могла узнать?

Как я могла узнать?

Как я могу надеяться жить без тебя?

Как я могу знать, куда ты меня отправишь?

Как я могу не мечтать о тебе?

О, как я могу отпустить тебя?

Как я могла узнать?

Все, что мне нужно.

Есть ли там, в саду!

Это забота о ребенке нашей любви!

Пойдем, пойдем со мной, в безопасности, я буду держать тебя

Там, куда ты меня приведешь.

Туда мы и отправимся.

О! как я мог знать?

Скажи мне, откуда мне знать?

Никогда не узнаю, что ты когда-нибудь покинешь меня!

What is the difference between “How do I know?” and “How would I know?”

I am unable to understand the meaning and correct usage of the above two sentences. Can anyone please explain their differences in meaning and usage?

2 Answers 2

There’s no strict rule distinguishing them. Below, I’ll explain the differences between what each question suggests and the situations where it’s most appropriate.

How do I know?

«How do I know?» usually casts doubt on something that previously was assumed to be true. For example, if someone you’ve never heard of on the Internet asks you to send them US$1,200, after which they will send you information about a huge inheritance that you are owed, you might say:

How do I know that I’ll ever hear from this person again after sending the money?

How do I know I can trust this person?

Or, about almost any answer on ELL:

How do I know that this person is describing English accurately?

It’s also used in sophomoric philosophy:

How do I know that this is not all just a dream?

The point is to challenge an assumed proposition by asking for justification. One could answer by providing justification for the proposition in question.

How would I know?

«How would I know?» asks for a method of finding something out if a given proposition is true: something to check for. The word would indicates the conditional mood, suggesting that the question is about a hypothetical situation rather than a current one.

«How would I know if I’ve driven too far?» «If you come to a big, white barn, then you’ve definitely driven too far.»

However, people also use the conditional mood as a polite «softener». «How do I know?» is quite challenging. It suggests that something has been carelessly or foolishly assumed. So, someone might ask «How would I know?» even about a present situation, in order to avoid sounding challenging.

Also, you might say «How would I know?» about a present situation if the matter in question is simply unknown:

How would I know if this car was stolen?

How would I know if I’m pregnant?

In this sense, you could also say «How can I tell?» or «How could I tell?» The conditional mood suggests that you are temporarily assuming the part after «if» as a hypothesis. For example, «If this car were stolen, how would I know?» or «If this car were stolen, how could I tell?»

With something unknown but not hypothetical, you would more likely say «How can I tell?» or «How do I know?» For example:

How can I tell which version of Safari I’m running?

Since it is known that you are running Safari, there is no hypothesis to base a condition on. But you could also express it as «How could I tell which version…?» (or «How would I know…?»); in this case, the implied hypothesis is «If I were going to find out which version…»

Other uses

These questions have other uses, too. «How would I know … without …?» suggests that you could not know something without the indicated test:

How would we know if they can sing without holding auditions?

How would we know they can sing if we didn’t hold auditions?

You can say «How would I know?» as a rhetorical question, to mean that you couldn’t possibly know the matter in question, or that there is no answer that could be known:

How would I know how much money she makes?

How would I know if your cat is psychic?

You can’t say «How do I know?» in this sense. The conditional mood is necessary because the question is based on an implied hypothesis which you are saying is false: you are implying that you don’t know and can’t know.

How could i know

How could I know?
Is used in response when someone is asked for information that is impossible for them to know.

How should I know?
Is used in response when someone is asked something they are expected to know.

How would I know?
Is used in response when someone is asked a general question that doesn’t necessarily expect them to know or not know.

However, in casual speech, would/should is used most commonly in all three situations.

On the other hand, could is used in serious or formal situations that describe that it was impossible for the person to have know certain information.

How could I have known that the Lightning would strike my house at 5pm today?

Why didn’t you know that the Lightning would strike your house today? How could I know? I can’t predict any of that!

How should I know how to operate this machine when my manager won’t teach me how to use it?

Do you know how to use this machine? How should I know? My manager refuses to show me how!

How would I know your mom’s phone number? We never needed to talk on the phone!

Do you know my mom’s phone number? How would I know? I never needed your mom’s phone number.