I don't think we need have done it

[Glizdka]

Context: We're playing a video game. We execute a bold move that leads to being at such a disadvantage, that we're going to lose the match because of that.

"I don't think we need have done it."

Is my sentence correct?

 

[Rover_KE]

No.

I don't think we should have done it.

 

[Yankee]

No.

I don't think we should have done it.

Or, "I don't think we needed to have done it".

 

[Tarheel]

We shouldn't have done it! Dang!

 

[emsr2d2]

For me, there's a difference between "We shouldn't have done it" and "We needn't have done it".

 

[jutfrank]

Or, "I don't think we needed to have done it".

That's not right if the speaker is speaking from the perspective of the moment of speaking.

I think you mean I don't think we needed to do it.

Glizdka,—if you're sure you want to use need instead of should (there is a difference of course, another option is We needn't have done it, without the 'I don't think' preface. I'd say that technically, I don't think we need have done it is in fact correct grammatically speaking but it would sound wrong (or odd at the most) to most native ears, I think.

 

[Rover_KE]

Twist.

I deleted your post because it was not clear whether you were attempting to answer the question or posing a supplementary question of your own to another member's thread.

If it was the former, you must state that you are not a teacher; if was the second, you should make that clear.

 

[Glizdka]

That's not right if the speaker is speaking from the perspective of the moment of speaking.

I think you mean I don't think we needed to do it.

I might well not know what I'm talking about, but I don't think it's what I meant.

Glizdka,—if you're sure you want to use need instead of should (there is a difference of course, another option is We needn't have done it, without the 'I don't think' preface.

I don't think should conveys what I'm aiming for. Should feels like just my better judgement in hindsight, but I also want to include "This was unnecessary."

Imagine we had the game in the bag, and, if we had slowplayed it, we would've won, but because we were being impatient, and felt like we could win, we made a move that ultimately made us lose the game. We now know it was better not to be done.

I guess I want a bit of shouldn't have and didn't have to in this sentence. Does needn't have have that meaning, in this context?

I'd say that technically, I don't think we need have done it is in fact correct grammatically speaking but it would sound wrong (or odd at the most) to most native ears, I think.

I've been reading on cases of normal verbs behaving like modal verbs, eg,. need, dare, say. From what I've read, need needs to be in a negative sentence to be used like a modal verb, so basically needn't.

I'm trying to bypass needn't by adding a negative preface, as you've noticed.

So the sentence is, technically, grammatical, albeit it feels awkward because need still needs to be in a negative sentence, right?

"I don't think we need've done it." → "I think we needn't have done it."

 

[Twist]

Does this work?
We needn't have done it.

 

[GoesStation]

Does this work?
We needn't have done it.

I think it's okay in British English. Americans would understand it, but we'd be much more likely to say We didn't need to do it. This wouldn't fit the scenario laid out in post #1, though.

 

[Yankee]

Rover's response still applies.

Not a correction. Rather, an alternative.

 

[jutfrank]

So the sentence is, technically, grammatical, albeit it feels awkward because need still needs to be in a negative sentence, right?

Yes, I think that's right.

"I don't think we need've done it." → "I think we needn't have done it."

Yes.

However, it still seems that what you mean is I don't think we should have done it.

If you say We needn't have done it, it means that you did it but now you realise that what you did was unnecessary. That's not what you mean. You mean to say that you took an action that led to a negative result, and so now you see that it was the wrong action to take. So use should, not need.

 

[Glizdka]

However, it still seems that what you mean is I don't think we should have done it.

If you say We needn't have done it, it means that you did it but now you realise that what you did was unnecessary. That's not what you mean. You mean to say that you took an action that led to a negative result, and so now you see that it was the wrong action to take. So use should, not need.

Precisely what I needed.