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Conditionals: imagined situations
Conditional sentences consider imagined or uncertain situations and the possible results of these situations. The most common types of conditional sentences involve if : If I get the job in Milan, I’ll be pretty happy. We’ll have the party in the garden as long as it doesn’t rain. (or … if it doesn’t rain. or … on condition that it doesn’t rain .)
Conditional sentences
Conditional sentences consist of a conditional clause and a main clause: If a lot of people come, we’ll have to get extra chairs. Unless you book weeks in advance, you won’t get a flight. The verb in the conditional clause reflects the speaker’s point of view on whether the imagined situation is likely or impossible: If you win the next match, will you be in the semi-final? (present simple
- will indicates the speaker thinks winning the match is possible or likely) If I won a million pounds, I would give this job up tomorrow! (past simple
- would indicates the speaker thinks winning a million pounds is not likely to happen) If we had won the competition, we would have had a free trip to Moscow. (past perfect + would have refers to an impossible condition – the event did not happen)
Order of clauses
Conditional clauses usually come before main clauses but they may also come after them: If you see Dora , will you give her a message? (conditional clause first; a comma is normally used in writing) I’ll go to Bristol tomorrow if the weather is good. (conditional clause second; a comma is not normally used in writing)
Verb forms in the conditional clause
The verb in the conditional clause may be in the simple form or the continuous form, depending on the meaning: If you owe money, you must pay it back immediately. (simple)
If you’ re feeling hungry, we can go and get something to eat. (continuous) If he had time, he always called in to see us. (simple) If they were working , we always tried not to disturb them. (continuous)
Conditionals: if
Imagined conditions There are different types of conditions. Some are possible or likely, others are unlikely, and others are impossible: If the weather improves , we’ll go for a walk. (It is possible or likely that the weather will improve.) If the weather improved , we could go for a walk. (It is not likely that the weather will improve.) If the weather had improved , we could have gone for a walk. (The weather did not improve – fine weather is therefore an impossible condition.) These types of conditions are used in three types of sentences, called first, second and third conditional sentences.
Imagined conditions: the first conditional
We use the first conditional to talk about the result of an imagined future situation, when we believe the imagined situation is quite likely: [imagined future situation] If the taxi doesn’t come soon, [future result] I’ll drive you myself. First conditional: form conditional clause main clause if + present simple modal verb with future meaning ( shall / should/will/would/can/could/may/might ) If he gets a job in Liverpool, he ’ll have to get up early. It’s a long drive. If Sheila rings , I might ask her to come over for dinner. Warning: We use the modal verb in the main clause, not in the conditional clause.
first conditional second conditional I ’ll come and give a hand if you need help moving your stuff. (it is possible or likely that you will need help) He would buy a flat if he had the money for a deposit. (it is unlikely that he will have the money)
Imagined conditions: the third conditional
We use the third conditional when we imagine a different past, where something did or did not happen, and we imagine a different result: If I had played better, I would have won. (I didn’t play well and I didn’t win.) It would have been easier if George had brought his own car. (George didn’t bring his own car, so the situation was difficult.) If the dog hadn’t barked , we wouldn’t have known there was someone in the garden. (The dog barked, so we knew there was someone in the garden.) Third conditional: form conditional clause main clause if + past perfect modal verb with future-in-the-past meaning ( should/would/might/could ) + have + - ed form If they had left earlier, they would have arrived on time. Warning: We use would have + - ed in the main clause, not in the conditional clause: If he had stayed in the same room as Dave, it would have been a disaster. Not: If he would have stayed … it would have been a disaster. People do sometimes use the form with would have in informal speaking, but many speakers consider it incorrect. Real conditionals Some conditions seem more real to us than others. Real conditionals refer to things that are true, that have happened, or are very likely to happen:
If you park here, they clamp your wheels. (It is always true that they clamp your wheels if, or every time, you park here.) If I can’t sleep, I listen to the radio. (it is often true that I can’t sleep, so I listen to the radio) In real conditional sentences, we can use the present simple or present continuous in both clauses for present situations, and the past simple or past continuous in both clauses for past situations. We can use these in various different combinations. Present simple + present simple If the weather is fine, we eat outside on the terrace. (Every time this happens, this is what we do.) Present continuous + present simple If the kids are enjoying themselves, we just let them go on playing till they’re ready for bed. (Every time this happens, this is what we do.) Present continuous + present continuous If the economy is growing by 6%, then it is growing too fast. (If it is true that the economy is growing by 6%, then it is true that it is growing too fast.) Past simple + past simple If my father had a day off, we always went to see my granddad. (Every time that happened in the past, that is what we did.) Past simple + past continuous Kevin always came in to say hello if he was going past our house. (Every time he was going past our house, that is what he did.) We can also use modal verbs in the main clause: If we go out, we can usually get a baby sitter. (Every time we go out, it is usually possible to get a babysitter.) If we wanted someone to fix something, we would ask our neighbour. He was always ready to help. (Every time we wanted someone, we would ask our neighbour.) Types of conditionals: summary The table shows how the main types of conditionals relate to one another.
If I hadn’t met Charles, I wouldn’t be here now. (I met Charles so I’m here now.) She wouldn’t still be working for us if we hadn’t given her a pay-rise. (We gave her a pay-rise so she is still working for us now.)
Conditionals in speaking
Spoken English: In speaking, we often use if - clauses without main clauses, especially when asking people politely to do things. If is usually followed by will, would, can or could when it is used to be polite: [Shop assistant to customer] If you would just sign here, please. (a more polite way of saying Just sign here, please .) [A is writing something for B and having difficulty] A: If I could have a better pen … B: Here, use this one. A: Thanks.
Conditionals: other expressions ( unless, should,
as long as… )
Unless
Conditional clauses can begin with unless. Unless means something similar to ‘if … not’ or ‘except if’. The verb forms in the examples are similar to sentences with if : we use the present simple in the unless - clause and shall, should, will, would, can, could, may or might in the main clause: Unless I phone you, you can assume the train’s on time. (If I do not phone you /except if I phone you, you can assume the train is on time.) We’ll have to cancel the show unless we sell more tickets at the last minute. (We’ll have to cancel the show if we do not sell more tickets/except if we sell more tickets at the last minute.) Warning: We don’t use unless for impossible conditions: If the government had not raised food prices, there would not have been so many protests. Not: Unless the government had raised food prices … Warning:
We don’t use unless and if together: We’ll go to the coast tomorrow unless it rains. Not: We’ll go to the coast tomorrow unless if it rains.
Should you ( Should with inversion)
In formal situations, we can use should + subject (s) + verb (v) instead of if : Should you wish to cancel your order, please contact our customer service department on 02317 6658932. (or If you should wish to cancel your order …) Should your child become anxious or nervous about any activity, it is a good idea to inform the team-leader. (or If your child should become …)
Had you ( Had with inversion)
In formal situations, we can use had + subject + verb instead of if in third conditional sentences: Had I known you were waiting outside, I would have invited you to come in. (If I had known you were waiting outside …) Had Margaret realised she would be travelling alone, she would never have agreed to go.
If + were to
In formal situations, we can use if + were to when we talk about things that might happen but which we think are unlikely: If the Prime Minister were to resign, there would have to be a general election within 30 days. In even more formal styles, we use were + subject-verb inversion + to- infinitive: [V] Were [S] we [to - INF] to give up the fight now, it would mean the end of democracy in our country. (If we gave up the fight now …) [V] Were [S] the economy [to - INF] to slow down too quickly, there would be major problems. (If the economy slowed down too quickly …)
As long as , so long as , providing , etc.
Sometimes we need to impose specific conditions or set limits on a situation. In these cases, conditional clauses can begin with phrases such as as long as, so long as, only if, on condition that, providing (that ), provided (that ).
Shall I keep some chicken salad for your brother in case he’s hungry when he gets here? (conjunction) In case I forget later, here are the keys to the garage. (conjunction) She knows she’s passed the oral exam, but she doesn’t want to say anything just in case. (adverb) We don’t use in case to mean ‘if’. Compare Let’s take our swimming costumes in case there’s a pool at the hotel. We don’t know if there is a pool there. Let’s take our swimming costumes if there’s a pool in the hotel. We will wait until we know about the pool before we decide. I’ll take cash in case we need it on the ferry. (we don’t know if we will need cash on the ferry)
In case of
We use in case of + noun to mean ‘if and when something happens’: [notice in a lift] In case of breakdown, please press the alarm button and call this number. (if and when the lift breaks down, …)
Wish
Wish + to - infinitive
When we use wish followed by a verb in the to - infinitive form, wish means the same as want , but it is more formal. We do not normally use wish in the continuous form when we use it with a to - infinitive: I wish to speak to Mr Hennessy, please. Not: I’m wishing to speak to … We don’t use a that - clause after wish when it is a more formal version of want : I wish to visit you in the summer, if possible. Not: I wish (that) I visit you in the summer … We can use an object (underlined), before the to - infinitive: I did not wish my family to know about Sara, so I told them nothing.
When we use an object after wish , we must also use a verb in the to - infinitive form. Alternatively, we can say want or (more politely) would like : We wish to have a table near the window, please. (or We would like a table near the window, please .) Not: We wish a table near the window …
Wish + indirect object + direct object
We use wish with two objects, an indirect object + a direct object (underlined), for expressions of good wishes and hopes that good things will happen to people: (io = indirect object; do = direct object) I wish [IO] you [DO] success in your new job. I’ve got my driving test tomorrow. Wish [IO] me [DO] luck! We wish [IO] you [DO] a long and happy life together.
Wish + that - clause
We use wish with a that - clause when we regret or are sorry that things are not different. We imagine a different past or present: I just wish that everything could be as it used to be. In informal situations, we usually omit that : I wish I had his mobile phone number; we could tell him the good news. (I don’t have his mobile phone number; it would be good if I had it.) I wish you hadn’t told me how the film ends. You’ve spoilt it for me. (You told me how the film ends; it would have been better if you had not told me.)
Wish + verb forms in the that - clause
The verb forms we use in that - clauses after wish are similar to the verb forms in conditional clauses after if. We use a past verb form for present and future meanings. Compare if wish It would be good if we had a bigger car. I wish we had a bigger car.
If only there was something she could do or say to help. Not: If only there is something she could do or say to help. We sometimes use were instead of was in more formal situations: If only she weren’t so tired. (If only she wasn’t so tired.) To talk about a wish for the future or to show a contrast between how things are and how we would like them to be, we use if only + would + infinitive without to : If only someone would buy the house. If only they would talk to each other. We use if only + past perfect to talk about a wish to change something that has already happened: If only he had listened to what his friends had been telling him. (He didn’t listen.) If only Anna had been able to come. (Anna wasn’t able to come.)
