had musical talent

[Gerald]

Dear Friend,

Would like to clarify with the word "Had".

For Example:

"I heard you'll be playing at the Jazz Club Tonight"? I didnt know you had musical talent".

Why the past tense in the word "have".What grammatical rules applies here.

Thanks
Gerald

[Mister Micawber]

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Not a rule; 'have' would work as well. Native speakers normally regress the dependent verb tense, even when the condition still obtains.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's