Ripasso inglese – conditionals, subjunctives and the unreal past

Before you start

Conditionals
1. Conditional sentences usually consist of two clauses: a conditional clause (or if clause) and a main
clause (or a result clause) which is dependent on the conditional
2. We usually form conditional sentences in one of two ways:
a. If I had a car, I would take you (if clause + main clause)
b. I would take you if I had a car (main clause + if clause)
If we put the if clause first, we usually separate the clauses with a comma
3. There are four basic conditional sentence patterns where our choice of tense depends on:
a. The time of the condition (past, present or future)
b. How possible or impossible we think the event is
Zero conditional Possible at any time, - If your car is old, probably needs a road test
but most commonly in - If she made a new dish, she tried it out on friends straight
the present way
First conditional Possible in future If we don’t water those plants, they’ll die
Second Impossible in the If my eyesight was perfect, I wouldn’t need to wear these
conditional present glasses
Possible (but unlikely) If we were rich, we’d buy a house in the Caribbean
in the future
Third conditional Impossible in the past If you had answered the door, she wouldn’t have gone away
again

4. We can make a question: if you lost your passport, what would you do?
5. In conversation we often use only the main clause; the if clause is implied
e.g. Actually, it would be pretty difficult (if we did as you asked)

Wish/if only
1. We use wish/if only + past simple to express a desire for something to be different in the present;
the desire can be for something which is actually impossible
e.g. I wish I knew more about art (= I don’t know much about it, but I would like to)
If only we were young again (= we want to be young, but we know this is impossible)
2. We use wish/if only + past perfect to express a regret about the past
e.g. If only I hadn’t left the car unlocked

The ‘unreal’ past

The ‘unreal’ past describes the use of past tenses after certain expression, e.g. if only, it’s time, to describe
things in the present, past or future which are imagined or unreal
e.g. If only I was thin (= I am not thin, but I would to be thin)
It’s time you went to the doctor about that cough

If and alternatives: present and future conditions

If and alternatives to if
There are several conjunctions we can use instead of if:
Provided/providing (that) To emphasise that the Expenses will be reimbursed on the condition
So/as long as | only if condition is necessary to that receipts are supplied
On (the) condition (that) the result 1 Provided you pay the extra fee, we guarantee
a sea-view room
 Even if (anche se) To express a condition that Even if they do go down with flu after they’ve
is unexpected in the had the vaccination, it’s likely to be less
circumstances serious
Whether… or not To express alternative They’ll deliver the furniture whether there’s
conditions someone to receive it or not 2
In case of (+ noun) To describe what you In case of (an) emergency, pull the cord above
should do in a particular the bath
situation (usually formal, In case of fire, do not use the elevator
e.g. written notices)
1
We do not use these conjunctions with the third conditional (we would’ve had the party there so long as
they’d arranged the catering)
2
We can also say: they’ll deliver the furniture whether or not there’s someone to receive it

We can use in case to imagine a precaution necessary for a possible future situation. It is not the same as if:
e.g. I’ll pop round later in case you’re there (I don’t know if you’ll be there, but I’ll come anyway)
I’ll pop round later if you’re there (I’ll only come if you’re there)

In conditional sentences that start with the if clause we can use then in the main clause to emphasise that
the result depends on the condition being fulfilled (adempiuta)
e.g. If the bill is passed by both parliamentary houses, then it becomes law

Unless and negative conditions

We often use unless to express a negative condition; it means ‘except if’ and is similar to ‘if… not’ or ‘only if’
e.g. I wouldn’t go there unless I had to (= I would go there only if I had to)

Unless is not always an alternative to if not, especially when the negative condition after if is contrary to
known facts, and in most questions
e.g. You’d be happier unless you had / if you didn’t have such high expectation (unless you had  unreal situation)

We can use unless with not

e.g. The college will offer you a place, unless your school-leaving grade is not as predicted (=they’ll offer
you a place if your grade is as predicted)
Are they going to sell? Not unless they receive $1 million (= they won’t sell if they don’t receive 1m)

Zero conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about events or situations that can occur at any time (often regularly),
and they result. We often use it for actions that always have the same result, and we can replace if with
when if we are referring to a regular activity
e.g. If you use a hot iron on Nylon, it melts
When I eat dairy products (latticini), I get red spots on my skin
If/when you press this key, the game starts, and when you click here, it stops

We can use modal verbs (especially can and may), the present simple, present perfect or present
continuous in both clauses
e.g. If you can read this, you’re driving too close to me
Prawns can be risky to eat if they haven’t been kept at the right temperature
If/when she’s travelling abroad on business, she always phones me every evening

We can use a similar pattern to refer to the past; we use the past simple or continuous in the if clause and
the past simple in the result clause
e.g. When they went to the movies, they always sat at the back (when for regular activity)
Karen got a lot more done if/when she was working from home
When we give a general instruction, we use an imperative in the result clause
e.g. If a chip pan is on fire, throw a fire blanket on it

First conditional
We use the first conditional to describe possible future events or situations and their results
e.g. If the result of the test is negative, you’ll receive notification through the post

We often use it for offers, suggestions and warnings

e.g. I’ll call the hotel if you don’t have time
Shall we go out tomorrow if the weather’s good?
I’ll call the police if you don’t leave right now!

We can also use it for commands, but note that we use an imperative in the main clause
e.g. If you get home late, be quiet!
Don’t forget to lock the door if you go out

We can use the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in the if clause, and will/shall or be
going to in the main clause
e.g. If you’ve decided to come on the motorway, you’re going to need a change for the tools
If they’re leaving early, we’ll go home with Jake

We can use modal verbs in either clause, especially can, could and may
e.g. If the regime can keep the loyalty of the army, they may retain power
If global warming continues, there could be an increase in extreme weather conditions

However, it is appropriate if will/won’t refers to willingness of refusal

e.g. The company will impose sanctions if the workers won’t abandon the strike

To make the first conditional more formal and the condition a little less likely, we can use happen to, or we
can omit if and use should before the subject
e.g. If/should you happen to be in the neighbourhood, feel free to visit our showroom
Should you be less than delighted with our product, we will refund your money immediately

Unlikely, unreal and past conditions

Forming the second conditional
We can use the past simple, past continuous or was going to in the if clause:
e.g. If they wanted to make her an offer, she would listen and think over it
If a celebrity was staying in the hotel, security arrangements would be tightened

We use would or a modal verb (often might or could) in the main clause
e.g. More research funding could be secured if people were more aware of the disease

We can use should + infinitive or were to + infinitive in the second conditional to emphasise that the
condition is unlikely to happen
e.g. If the printer should break down within the first year, we would repair it at our expense
If you were to listen more carefully, you might understand a little more

We can make this condition more formal in two ways:

 By using were, not was, after i/he/she/it in the if clause: if the programmer were familiar with this
language, it would be an easy job
  By placing was/were (to) or should before the subject: were you to accept our offer, we could avoid
the costs of a court case

Uses of the second conditional

The second conditional has two main uses:
1. To talk about an unlikely future event or situation
e.g. if the result of the test were positive, we would call you within two days (we expect the
result to be negative)
The choice between this pattern and the first conditional often depends on how possible we
believe an event to be
1st If mike rings the travel agent tomorrow, he might get a cancellation (we believe it is likely
that mike will ring the travel agent)
2nd if mike rang the travel agent tomorrow, he might get a cancellation (we believe it is unlikely
that mike will ring the travel agent)
2. To talk about an unreal current event or situation, i.e. one which is contrary to known facts
e.g. If the police were confident on their case against Sykes, surely they would take him into
custody? (the police aren’t confident on their case)
We don’t use unless with these unreal conditions
We can also use the second conditional for
- Giving advice (with were): if I were you, I would take her out of that school
- Polite request: if you could deal with this matter, I’d be very grateful
- Desires/regrets: if we didn’t have to work so hard, we could spend more time togheter

Forming the third conditional

We use the past perfect in the if clause and would/wouldn’t have or modal verbs (usually might have or
could have) in the main clause
e.g. If we had paid our cleaner more, she wouldn’t have left us
It might have been easier to break the news if I had known her a bit better
If the spy had intercepted the message, he could have averted the crisis

We can use continuous form in both clauses

e.g. If the taxi hadn’t come along, you would have been waiting there for hours
You wouldn’t have missed the turning if you’d been paying attention

We can use prepositional phrase instead of an if clause

e.g. Don’t worry; I wouldn’t have done it without asking for permission first
had it not been for his quick thinking, we would have fallen into the river

Uses of third conditional

The third conditional describes an unreal or imagined situation or event in the past
e.g. If the sea defences hadn’t collapsed, New Orleans wouldn’t have been flooded (but the known facts
are: the sea defences did collapse and New Orleans was flooded)
I would have used your builder if I had managed to contact him (but the known facts are: I didn’t
manage to contact him so I didn’t use him)

We can use the third conditional to express a criticism or regret, often with could have
e.g. If you’d been driving more slowly, you could have stopped in time
I could have got the job if I’d performed better in the interview

Mixed conditionals
There are several less common conditional patterns
 1. Past condition (if + past simple)  future result (will + infinitive/be going to): if they left at midnight
yesterday, they’ll be here by lunchtime tomorrow
2. Past condition (if + past simple)  past/present result (present perfect): if you gave them all your
money, you’ve made a big mistake
3. Past unreal condition (if + past simple (third conditional))  present result (would/could/might
have + infinitive (second conditional): if your brother hadn’t had that promotion, he would still be
working here (he did have the promotion, so he no longer works here)
4. Present unreal condition (if + past simple (second conditional)  past result (would/could/might
have + past participle (third conditional)): if the island were still a tourist attraction, more people
would have died in the earthquake (the island is no longer a tourist attraction, so fewer people
died)

I wish and if only

Wish/if only + past simple and past perfect
We use I/we wish or if only:
 + past simple to express a desire for something to be different in the present
e.g. I wish I had lots of money (I want lots of money, but I don’t have it)
We wish you didn’t leave so soon (we don’t want you to leave, but we know you have to)
 + past perfect to express a wish that something different had happened in the past
e.g. I feel sick. If only I hadn’t eaten all those cakes! (I ate them and now I regret it)
 + could to describe a desire we know is impossible to achieve, often about ourselves
e.g. If only we could see the situation through his eyes (we can’t)
I wish I could swim but I’m terrified of water
We can use could + have + past participle for a regret about the past
e.g. I wish your father could have been there (unfortunately, he wasn’t able to be there)

Wish/if only + would

I/we wish/if only + would usually express a desire for someone to change their behaviour in the present or
future; we often use it to criticise or complain about something
e.g. I wish you’d stop looking at me like that. It’s terribly distracting
If only you wouldn’t shout. It’s really irritating
I wish people would recycle their rubbish
We can also use this pattern with inanimate subject for emphasis
e.g. If only the sun would come out so we could take the photos (the sun refuses to come out. I want it
to come out)

We cannot use this form for an impossible change, or a change to the past. For these meanings we use the
past simple (for present/future time) or the past perfect (for past time)
e.g. If only nuclear bombs wouldn’t have been invented / hadn’t been invented

Differences between wish and if only

If only is often more emphatic than I wish, compare
e.g. If only we’d seen you coming; we might have braked in time (a regret)
I wish we’d seen you coming; we would have put out the red carpet (a wish)

For greater emphasis we can put a subject between if and only in formal English
e.g. If you only knew how much trouble you’ve caused

Wish can be followed by that, but if only cannot

e.g. If only that / I wish that you’d told me about it earlier
Subjunctives and the ‘unreal’ past
Subjunctives
The subjunctive form is the same as the infinitive (without to); can be used to refer to events in the past,
present or future
e.g. The judge insisted (that) Mr Grant give evidence despite his relationship to the accused

We use it most often in that clauses after certain verbs (e.g. advise, ask, demand, insist, propose,
recommend, require, request, suggest), and after adjectives (e.g. advisable, anxious, desirable, essential,
eager, important, necessary, preferable, urgent, vital, willing) to express the idea that something is
necessary or important
e.g. In future cases it will be vital that each party give full disclosure prior to trial

We can use passive and negative forms of the subjunctive

e.g. Members of the committee suggested England be excluded from the future tournaments
Regulations require that officers not enter the crime scene without protective clothing

The ‘unreal’ past

After a number of expressions such as if only, it’s time, what if, assuming, say, suppose/supposing, would
rather/sooner, as if/though and I wish we use past tenses (active and passive) to describe things in the
present, past or future which are imagined. We sometimes refer to this use of past tenses as the ‘unreal’
past.
We can use the past simple or continuous after these expressions to talk about the imaginary present and
future
e.g. Present: it’s time they were forced to clear up the mess (they aren’t forced to clear up at the
moment)
These kids act as if they owned the place (they don’t own it)
Future: I wish I was coming with you tomorrow (I am not coming with you)
We use the past perfect to refer to something unreal in the past
e.g. I wish I’d never started this course (I’ve started it)

Many speakers prefer to use were for all persons when talking about the imagined present or future,
especially in more formal situations and in American English. This form is sometimes called the past
subjunctive and is also used in second conditional sentences:
e.g. If I were you, I’d think twice before refusing that offer
If only he were a little more convincing on the economic issues
In these examples we can also use ‘was’, but is more informal

It’s (about) time / high time (that)

We use it’s (about) time + past tense to say that something should be happening and isn’t
e.g. It’s time we left (we aren’t leaving and we should be)
It’s about time you paid a visit to your grandparents (you should visit them)

It’s high time is slightly more emphatic

e.g. It’s high time that the voice of the people was heard in this house (this voice isn’t being heard and it
should be)

We cannot use a negative after it’s (high/about) time

e.g. It’s time we didn’t stay  It’s time we left

We can also use it’s time for + object + to + infinitive

e.g. We’d better open the gates now; it’s time for the guests to arrive
If we are referring to ourselves or the person we are speaking to we can also use it’s time + to + infinitive
e.g. It’s time to leave. I’m afraid, it’s time to put your books away now, children.

Would rather and would sooner

We use would rather/sooner with the past simple to describe preferences
e.g. I’d sooner gave me a cash refund; a credit note’s no use to me (=I would prefer a refund / I wish
you’d give me a refund

They are often used as a polite way to refuse permission, or make suggestions
e.g. I’d rather you didn’t use the best china (= please do not use the best china)
I’m not keen on the idea of staying in. I’d sooner we went out bowling or something (= let’s go
bowling)

If the person expressing a preference and the subject of the preference are the same, we use an infinitive
(without to) instead of the past tense, compare
e.g. We’d sooner you spent your bonus on something useful (past tense: the speaker and the subject
are different)
I’d rather spend it on something frivolous (infinitive: speaker and subject are the same)

As if and as though
We use a past tense after as if or as though to say that how something appears now does not match with
reality
e.g. He talks to the children as though they were imbeciles (we know they aren’t imbeciles)
They are acting as if nothing had happened (we know something has happened)

But we use a present tense (including the present perfect) after as if or as though when we don’t know if
the appearance reflects reality or not, compare
e.g. You talk about her as if you know her (present tense: perhaps you know her)
You talk about that film star as is you knew her (past tense: I’m sure you don’t know her)

We can use these expressions to be critical, ironic or sarcastic

e.g. It isn’t as if he’s in any position to pass judgment (= he probably isn’t in a position to do this)