If that person saw, they would be happy

[Aikuzo]

- If that person saw, they would be happy

Shouldn't that be "If that person saw, he/she (or anything as long as it's singular) would be happy"?

[Tukanja]

The sentence might want to say

If that person's able to be conscious of what's around her by using her eyes thay would be happy.

[kittyhoang]

I learnt that conditional sentences have never been the rule for subject that it should be singular or plural. i.e: If it rains we will not go to school.

I think your sentence may say: if that person saw them, they would be happy. Infact that person didn't see them. Is "them" letf out?

[Joe]

There are several possibilities here and we don't have enough information to decide definitively.

1. It is possible that "they" does not refer to "that person". It may actually refer to an external group of people. If so, the sentence is correct. (We can only know this with more context and especially the preceding words.)

2. It is possible that "they" refers to "that person". Since the words "that person" are used, the person and - we presume - the person's gender would appear to be identifiable. If so, the sentence should be one of the following:
- If that person saw, he would be happy.
- If that person saw, she would be happy.

3. If "that person"'s gender is, for some reason, not known, then the sentence as it stands ("they") accords with common usage born out of political correctness.

Consider the following:
- If a student feels ill he should report to the doctor.

In a desire for gender equality, people started to use:
- If a student feels ill he or she should report to the doctor.
- If a student feels ill he/she should report to the doctor.
- If a student feels ill s/he should report to the doctor.

The above is rather clumsy and today we are able to invert logic for the sake of political correctness, and say (and write):
- If a student feels ill they should report to the doctor.

[ETutor]

For correct grammar, the sentence should read:

If that person saw, she would be happy.

You could also say:

If that person saw, that person would be happy.

But that does not sound good. A general rule of thumb when writing English is that if you do not know the gender of a subject, you use your own gender. So a female writer would use “she” here and a male writer would use “he”.

In spoken English, however, when the speaker does not know the gender of “that person”, the speaker will often use the word “they”.

[Aikuzo]

But that does not sound good. A general rule of thumb when writing English is that if you do not know the gender of a subject, you use your own gender. So a female writer would use “she” here and a male writer would use “he”.

In spoken English, however, when the speaker does not know the gender of “that person”, the speaker will often use the word “they”.

Wow I didn't knew this.... thanks!

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Well it's about my favorite manga where the context is that a lady who is a master of fighting is competing w/ a boy who used to be a student of her late friend(female friend). The boy who is so powerless years ago in the story is doing so well on his battle againt the lady - and so when she said that I really think what she really meant is "Hmm... this boy who used to be so powerless at that time improved this much. If that person saw, she(her female friend and the late teacher of the boy) would be happy".

It's a japanese manga comic, I think they just made a mistake on the translation.

Thanks guys lol.

[Joe]

Wow I didn't knew this.... thanks!

Wow I didn't know this.... thanks!

[Aikuzo]

It's a japanese manga comic, I think they just made a mistake on the translation.

I noticed another one - just to make sure: "It's a Japanese manga comic, I think they just made a mistake on the translation."

Adjective nationality I guess.

[Joe]

"it's a comic"

a = indefinite article
Japanese = proper adjective
manga = adjective
comic = countable common noun