Tense and conjugation: いないみたいでした v.s. いなかったみたいでした


Consider the following four sentences:

> 1.誰も **いない** みたい **でした** 。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
>
> 2.誰も **いなかった** みたい **でした** 。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
>
> 3.誰も **いなかった** みたい **です** 。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。
>
> 4.誰も **いない** みたい **です** 。ノックしましたが、返事がありませんでした。

There are two verbs 「いない」 and 「です」 to conjugate， my question is which verb
should be conjugated, or maybe both should be conjugated?

Does it have anything to do with whether the two verbs are simultaneous or
not?




The Japanese language is based on [relative
tense](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/25378/5010). In your case, you
have to choose みたいです ("seems") and みたいでした ("seemed") simply based on the time
of your observation, but いない and いなかった are relative to the time of your
observation.

  1. 誰もいないみたいでした。  
= It looked like there was no one.  
(You investigated the room _a while ago_ and thought no one was there _at that
time_.)

  2. 誰もいなかったみたいでした。  
= It looked like there had been no one.  
(You investigated the room _a while ago_ and thought no one was in the room
_yesterday_.)

  3. 誰もいなかったみたいです。  
= Looks like there was no one.  
(You are investigating the room _now_ and thinking there was no one
_yesterday_.)

  4. 誰もいないみたいです。  
= Looks like there is no one.  
(You are investigating the room _now_ and thinking there is no one _now_.)




The Japanese language is based on [relative
tense](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/25378/5010). In your case, you
have to choose みたいです ("seems") and みたいでした ("seemed") simply based on the time
of your observation, but いない and いなかった are relative to the time of your
observation.

  1. 誰もいないみたいでした。  
= It looked like there was no one.  
(You investigated the room _a while ago_ and thought no one was there _at that
time_.)

  2. 誰もいなかったみたいでした。  
= It looked like there had been no one.  
(You investigated the room _a while ago_ and thought no one was in the room
_yesterday_.)

  3. 誰もいなかったみたいです。  
= Looks like there was no one.  
(You are investigating the room _now_ and thinking there was no one
_yesterday_.)

  4. 誰もいないみたいです。  
= Looks like there is no one.  
(You are investigating the room _now_ and thinking there is no one _now_.)

