CONDITIONALS
Refer to:
Present & future If-clause Main clause
ZERO Present + Present
If you press this button, the engine stops.
If you canmeet me at the car, that’s easiest for me.
Present + Imperative
If you go away, write to me.
FIRST Present + will future
If she rings this evening, I’ll let you know.
Main clause If-clause
SECOND Would + Simple Past
What would you do if you became President? Refer to:
past If-clause Main clause
THIRD Past Perfect + would have + past participle If I hadn’t seen her, she’d have drowned.
‘False’ – the speaker knows that the condition
has already been fulfilled. If you don’t like the opera, why are you here?
So, as long as, provided/providing (that),
suppose/supposing, assuming, even if, if only, on condition that, unless
So/as long as you promise not to tell, you can come too.
If only we’d got there sooner, the accident would never have happened.
Unless Peter changes his attitude, he’s going to find himself in trouble.
FALSE CONDITIONALS / ALTERNATIVES TO IF IN CONDITIONALS
IN THE PRESENT, FUTURE and:
(present tenses or modals) If he comesinto the room, don’t mention the party this evening.
Can I leave early today? If you must.
(also going to future) Even if we are not going to go swimming, we’d still better take a towel.
Assuming you can leave work early, we’ll be able to make the 6.30 performance.
PAST
(Present Perfect) If he’s read that report, he’ll know what all the fuss is about.
(Present Perfect Continuous) If you’ve been telling the truth, we need to act quickly.
(Simple Past / Past Continuous) Provided that she caught her flight, she’ll be landing any moment now.
WATCH OUT: WILL/WON’T in The IF-Clause has the meaning:
Refusal If he won’t go, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Polite requests If you’ll hold this end, I’ll take the other one. Strong disapproval at
someone’s insistence on doing something.
If you will drive so fast, you must expect to have accidents.
1. REAL CONDITION (likely conditionals)
IN THE PRESENT
(past subjunctive, were in all persons, or
Simple Past) If I lying. didn’t know you so well, I’d say you were
(but I do know you well.)
If he weren’t (wasn’t) so stubborn, he’d agree with us.
(but he is stubborn.)
IN THE FUTURE
(we’re talking hypothetically – Simple Past) If you told him, he’d never believe you.
(I don’t think you will tell him.)
Suppose your car broke down, what would you do?
WOULD in if –clauses:
Only for polite requests and strong wishes
that someone would do something: If you hand, we could finish this very quickly. would be kind enough to lend me a
2. UNLIKELY CONDITIONALS (improbable condition)
(We know what happened but are speculating about what would have
happened if the opposite had been true.)
If she’d known my number, she would have phoned.
(but she didn’t know it)
(omit if)
Had I believed her for one moment, I
wouldn’t have refused to help.
Something that is generally true, although we wish it wasn’t, can have results in the past.
If I wasn’t such an idiot, I wouldn’t have done that.
3. PAST CONDITIONALS (impossible condition)
If I had gone to the party last night, I would be tired now. (I am not tired now – present)
BUT:
If I had gone to the party last night, I would have met lots of people.
(I didn’t meet lots of people – past)
If the weather hadn’t been so bad, we would have gone out.
we could have gone out.
(we would have been able to go out) we might have gone out.
(perhaps we would have gone out)
MIXED CONDITIONALS
WOULD HAVE, COULD HAVE, MIGHT HAVE:
PRESENT meaning
(we regret something in the present) I wish I (but I am) weren’t (wasn’t) having the injection.
I wish I won a million pounds.
I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow, but unfortunately I do.
Do you wish you lived by the sea?
(you don’t live by the sea)
I’m sorry I have to go. I wish I could stay
longer.
(but I can’t)
(we complain about something) The phone has been ringing for five minutes. I
wish somebody would answer it.
PAST meaning
(we regret something in the past) I wish Ihave gone to see him. had known that John was ill. I would
(but I didn’t know)
I feel sick. I wish I hadn’t eaten so much. I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone.
(but I didn’t)
I WISH
(wishing for the virtually impossible)
IF-CLAUSE MAIN CLAUSE Referring to the present & future
Present Simple Present Simple
Present Simple Imperative
Present Simple Will-future
Referring to the past
Present Perfect / Present Perfect
Continuous Present Simple / Future / Future Continuous Simple Past / Past continuous
SUMMARY OF TENSES IN CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
IF-CLAUSE MAIN CLAUSE
Referring to the present
Subjunctive / Simple Past Simple Past
Subjunctive/ Simple Past Would + infinitive Referring to the future
Simple Past Simple Past
Simple Past Would + infinitive
IF-CLAUSE MAIN CLAUSE
Referring to the past
Past Perfect Would have + past participle of the main verb
2. UNLIKELY CONDITIONALS (improbable
condition)
3. PAST
CONDITIONALS (impossible condition) 1. REAL CONDITION (likely conditionals) 8
