
Dude, you were virtually lucky that you were not admitted to college/university. It would be mere waste of five years of your life!
Да тебе просто повезло что ты не поступил в университет, Иначе бы ты просто зря провёл там пять лет
Consider yourself lucky for not making it into college - that would've been a total waste of five (good) years for you
You dodged a bullet by not getting into university - you would've wasted five years (of your life) for nothing
You’re just lucky you didn’t get into university or you’d have just been there for five years for nothing
Dude, you were virtually lucky that you were not admitted to college/university. It would be mere waste of five years of your life!
Thank you so much but can please explain why do we have to say here : you would’ve ... ? Why exactly we gotta use the conditional mood here?
Because, if I understood correctly, the listener didn’t get into school, so anything you say about his time in school would be theoretical and not factual.
Ты БЫ провёл - сослагательное наклонение. В английском ему соответствует the subjunctive mood: would + неопределённый инфинитив основного глагола (например, waste) для настоящего и будущего времени и (2) would + перфектный инфинитив (have wasted) для прошлого.
В разговорной речи would have wasted звучит как would've wasted. Отсюда и написание такое.
In other words, for the same reason the original Russian has бы.
I see! Thank u for the explanation 😊