Provided that vs. Providing that

[Minh]

Hi everybody,

Can anyone tell me the difference between "Provided that" and " Providing that"?

Many thanks,

Minh

[Mister Micawber]

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Not much. I cannot think of anywhere I would use one that I cannot use the other.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Parisianbull]

Hi,

I'm not a native speaker (in fact, a Norwegian living in Paris), so don't take my reasoning for anything but speculation, but it seems to me that there is, or at least ought to be, a difference between the two.

The construct describes a precondition, and because the condition must be fulfilled prior to whatever depends on it, does it not make more sense to use the past tense?

For example,

"I'll buy the car, provided that my bank is willing to extend a loan."

Here, the bank's willingness to extend a loan necessarily precedes buying the car, and, to my mind at least, it therefore makes more sense to use the past tense.

There is another case that leaves me more ambigious:

"I'll cook, providing you do the dishes."

Of course, the dishwashing would take place after the cooking. However, to me, it seems this is really a rationalization of a PREcondition (after all, a postcondition makes no sense), namely

"I'll cook, provided you [promise to] do the dishes."

It's hardly a question of great importance, but I think it's interesting and would appreciate any comments.

[Mister Micawber]

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While your argument is endearingly logical, it isn't true; I would use either verb form with equal ease in both of your example sentences.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's