We continue to study English grammar, and today we want to introduce you to a curious grammatical phenomenon in the English language. Is it a conditional mood or Conditional Mood . We will look at the types of this mood, examples of sentences with it, etc. How is the conditional mood constructed in English?
The conditional mood in English is a very interesting thing. As in Russian, the conditional mood in English indicates that an action can or should be performed under some condition. But still there are significant differences from Russian.
Sentences in the conditional mood are complex sentences, usually consisting of two simple ones, one of which is main and the other is dependent. The main clause expresses the condition of the action in the dependent clause.
The catch is that English has three cases or types of conditional, while Russian has only two. But if you look carefully, you will understand that everything is not so complicated.
In Russian: the first type expresses a real condition in the present tense; the second type expresses an unreal condition in the past tense.
- If I go home, I'll have lunch.
- If I went home, I would have lunch. (And since I didn’t go home, I didn’t have lunch, that is, the action is unrealistic under this condition)
In English: the first type expresses a real condition in the present tense; the second type expresses a real condition in the past tense; the third type indicates an unreal condition in the past tense. Let's follow the same sentence, but in English:
- If I go home, I will have lunch
- If I went home, I would have lunch
- If I had gone home, I would have had lunch.
Now let’s look at each type of Conditional Mood in the language we are studying separately.
The easiest one is the first type!
It really couldn't be easier. Here we are dealing with a real condition in the present tense.
Pay attention to the phrase If I have money, I buy a car (If I have money, I'll buy a car). The main part of this sentence can also be in the future tense: If I have money, I will buy a car.
For example:
- If you drink a lot of coffee, you have problems with your heart. Or: If you drink a lot of coffee, you will have problems with your heart. — If you drink a lot of coffee, you will have heart problems.
But a subordinate clause in English can never be in the future tense. After the word If the verb must be in the present tense Present Simple. That is, the subordinate clause is in the present tense, and most importantly - in the future.
Example sentences:
- If you eat a lot of sweets, you will have problems with your teeth. — If you eat a lot of sweets, you will have problems with your teeth
- I will speak with Tom, if I find him. — I'll talk to Tom if I find him.
- If we go home, we will have a rest. - If we go home, we will rest.
As we see, in each sentence there is a real action under a real condition. 
Three types of English conditional
Second type of conditional
The second type expresses a real condition in the past tense. And here, as in the first case, we are dealing with a real action under a real condition. In this case, the subordinate clause should be in Past Simple, and most importantly - in Future in the Past.
Pay attention to the example sentences:
- If I had money, I would buy a flat. — If I had money, I would buy an apartment
- If you did your homework, you would get a good mark. — If you had done your homework, you would have gotten a good grade.
Instead of would in the main clause there may be should, could, might. For example:
- If you met Jim, you should speak with him. — If you met Jim, you would talk to him
- You could read the whole book, if you wanted. -You could read the whole book if you wanted.
- You might take my notebook, if I brought it. “You could have taken my laptop if I had brought it.”
Don't be afraid of the third type!
The third case of the conditional mood does not occur in Russian. But if you familiarize yourself with the scheme according to which it is built, then there is nothing complicated.
Please note: in the subordinate clause the verb is in Past Perfect, and in the main scheme would + have + verb + ending -ed (or third form of the verb).
This type expresses an unreal, impossible condition in the past tense. Note:
- If you had won the competition, you would have gone to France. — If you won the competition, you would go to France. (But you didn’t win, so you won’t go, that is, action under this condition is impossible)
- If we had come on time, we would have met Ann. - If we had arrived on time, we would have found Anna. (But we didn’t arrive on time, so we didn’t find her; the action is unrealistic under this condition).
Here, as in the second type, the main clause can also contain verbs should, could, might. Eg:
- If she had spoken with her brother, he could have given his car. — If she had talked to her brother, he could have given him his car.
- You should have been more polite with mr Anders, if you had wanted. “You could be more polite to Mr. Anders if you wanted.”
- If I had found Tom, I might have spoken with him about that case. “If I had found Tom, I would have talked to him about that incident.”
The third type, Conditional, expresses an unreal action under an unreal condition.
Well, as we have seen, the conditional mood in English plays a very important role, and is an important part of English speech. Use it to express a condition in an action. You will definitely make friends with him. We wish you success!
There are four main types of "if" sentences in English:
There are four main types of sentences in English: "if":
1.The "zero" conditional, where the tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present:
1. "Zero" conditional, when both the main and subordinate clauses have the same tense - simple present:
now or always and the situation is real and possible. They are often used to refer to general truths.
now or always, and the situation is real and possible. Often such sentences mean general truths
2.The Type 1 conditional, where the tense in the "if clause is the simple present simple future
2. Conditional type 1, when in a subordinate clause with "if" the verb is in simple present simple future
In these sentences, the time is the present or future and the situation is real. They refer to a possible condition and its probable result.
In these sentences, time is now or in the future, and the situation is real. They talk about possible condition and probable outcome.
3. The Type 2 conditional, where the tense in the "if" clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional.
3. Conditional type 2, where in the subordinate clause with "if" verb in simple past tense, and in the main clause - in present conditional
In these sentences, the time is now or any time, and the situation is unreal. They are not based on fact, and they refer to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result .
In these sentences, time is now or any other time, and the situation unrealistic. These sentences do not reflect facts, they speak of an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its likely outcome
4.The Type 3 conditional,where the tense in the "if" clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional.
4. Conditional type 3, where in the subordinate clause with "if" the verb is in past perfect time, and in the main clause - in perfect conditional.
In these sentences, the time is past, and the situation is contrary to reality. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed, and they refer to an unreal past condition and its Probable past result.
In these sentences the time is past, and the situation contradicts the real state of affairs. Real facts completely different, and the meaning of the sentence is that some unfulfilled situation from the past could have such and such probable outcome in the past.
A further type of "if" sentence exists, where Type 2 and Type 3 are mixed. The tense in the "if" clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional.
There is another type of sentence with "if", Where types 2 and 3 mixed. In the subordinate clause with "if" the verb is in the past perfect, and in the main clause - in the present conditional.
In these sentences, the time is past in the "if" clause, and present in the main clause. They refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present .
In these sentences the time is past in if-clause and the present in the main sentence. These sentences describe unreal condition in the past and him probable results in the present
We all love to dream:
“If he knew English, he would go to live abroad. If she had a lot of money, she would open her own store. If they lived by the sea, they would surf."
In all these sentences we are talking about imaginary events that do not actually exist.
In English, we build such sentences using the second type of conditional sentences.
Many people learning English have problems understanding this topic, so today we will look in detail at how to construct such sentences.
Conditional sentences of type 2 (Second conditional) we use when we talk about imaginary situations in the present and future . The events referred to in such sentences are unlikely or unrealistic.
For example:
If he won the lottery, he would buy a car. (But it is unlikely that he will win)
If it hadn't been raining, we would have gone for a walk in the park. (But it's raining, so the action is unrealistic)
Let's look at how to construct such sentences in English.
Rules for the formation of type 2 conditional sentences in English
Conditional sentences of type 2 consist of 2 parts:
- condition - events that are unrealistic or unlikely
- main part - the action that would occur if the condition were met
A conditional sentence can begin with either a main clause or a condition.
How to build each of these parts?
Main part
The main part contains an action that could happen in the present or future, but is unlikely to happen.
The main part is formed using would(this will is in the past tense). When constructing a sentence, we put would after the actor, and then comes the verb in the initial form.
Also in such sentences, instead of would, the following can be used:
- should - should
- could - may/could
- might - perhaps/can
I would buy it……
I would buy this......
He would go abroad…
He would go abroad.....
He could come…..
He could come......
Conditional part
This part contains a condition that is unrealistic or unlikely.
In the conditional part we use the Past Simple tense.
Depending on the verb, this tense is formed as follows:
- if the verb is regular, we add the ending -ed (cook - cooked)
- if the verb is not regular, we put it in the 2nd form (see - saw).
The conditional part begins with the word if, which is translated as “if”.
By combining the two parts, we get the following scheme for the formation of conditional sentences of type 2:
Actor + would + action + if + actor + regular verb ending -ed or 2nd form of irregular verb
He would buy the car if he won the lottery.
He would buy a car if he won the lottery.
They would call you if they had a phone.
They would call you if they had a phone.
We can swap the two parts, putting the condition first. Education rules will remain the same. Only a comma will be added to separate the two parts of the sentence.
If + actor + regular verb ending -ed or 2nd form of irregular verb, actor + would + action
If she had enough time, she would cook dinner.
If she had time, she would cook dinner.
If we went to this club, we would dance all night.
If we went to this club, we would dance all night.
Also, in conditional sentences of the second type, the verb to be is very often used in the conditional part. Let's look at this in detail.
Using the verb to be in type 2 conditional sentences in English
In English there is a special kind of verb - the verb to be. We use it when we say that someone:
- Located somewhere (He's in the park)
- Is someone (She's a nurse)
- Is somehow (The cat is gray)
In type 2 conditional sentences, the verb to be is usually used in the conditional part, so we put it in the past tense. Moreover, regardless of the actor, we use the form - were.
Incorrect: If she was a teacher…..
If she were a teacher.....
Correct: If she were a teacher…...
If she were a teacher......
If + actor + were + place/state/phenomenon + actor + would + action
If they were rich, they would travel.
If they were rich, they would travel.
If she were you, she would do it.
If she were you (in your place), she would do it.
In spoken English this rule is not always followed. You may see was used instead of were in colloquial speech. But the use of were in such sentences remains grammatically correct.
Conditional sentences of the second type with negation in English
We can use negation in such sentences. Negative ones can be:
- Main part
- Condition
- Both parts
Negation in the main part
To make the main part negative, afterwouldwe put not.
We can shorten: would + not = wouldn't’ t.
The scheme for the formation of such a proposal will be:
Actor + wouldn’t + action + if + actor + regular verb ending -ed or 2nd form of irregular verb
Negation in part with condition
Since this part uses Past Simple, then negation is formed using the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not. In this case, we do not change the verb in any way; it is in the initial form.
We often use the abbreviation:
did + not = didn't’ t
Scheme for the formation of such a sentence:
Actor + would + action + if + actor + didn’t + action
They would go to the cinema if they didn't study.
They would go to the cinema if they weren't studying.
She would go to bed if she didn't work at night.
She would go to bed if she didn't work at night.
Negation with the verb to be in the conditional part
If the part with the condition contains the verb to be (were), then we simply put not after it.
We can shorten:
were + not = weren’t
If he weren't a doctor, he would be a teacher.
If he were not a doctor, he would be a teacher.
If I weren't sick, I would join you.
If I weren't sick, I would join you.
Negation in both parts of the conditional sentence
If there is a negation in both parts, the sentence is constructed according to the scheme
Actor + wouldn’t + action + if + actor + didn’t (weren"t) + action (place/state/phenomenon)
As you can see, in the first part we add not to would, in the second we put didn't.
She wouldn't go to his party if she didn't know him.
She wouldn't have gone to his party if she didn't know him.
They wouldn't help all people if they weren't so kind.
They wouldn't help all the people if they weren't so kind.
Now let's look at how to ask questions.
Question with conditional sentence type 2 in English
We ask a question to find out whether a person would do something under certain conditions or not.
When we ask a question, we only change the main part. In it we put would in first place. The part containing the condition does not change.
The interrogative sentence pattern will be as follows:
Would + actor + action + if + actor + regular verb ending -ed or 2nd form of irregular verb?
Would he buy this if he had any money?
Would he buy it if he had the money?
Would she stay at home if she had weekend?
Would she stay home if she had a day off?
We give the answer to the main part, therefore:
- a positive answer will contain yes, agent and would
Would they study English if they had enough time? Yes, they would.
Would they study English if they had enough time? Yes, we would study it.
- a negative answer will contain no, actor, would + not
Would he help her if he knew about her problems? No, he wouldn't’
t.
Would he help her if he knew about her problems? No, it wouldn't help.
So, we have analyzed the theory. Now let's consolidate the use of conditional sentences of type 2 in practice.
Consolidation exercise
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. If she told everything, he would help her.
2. She would wear this dress if she went to a restaurant.
3. He would buy this car if it were black.
4. They wouldn't go to school if they had holidays.
5. If he did not live in New York, he would live in Moscow.
6. Would she go to the cinema if she didn’t work?
Leave your answers in the comments below the article.
On the pages of our website we have already told you about conditional sentences and. It's time to talk about third type of conditional sentences:Conditional 3. This construction is usually studied at the level Intermediate, when students are already familiar with forms and the Past Perfect Continuous.
The conditional sentence itself consists of two parts: conditional part (if-clause or conditional clause) And main part(main clause) The third type of conditional sentence usually looks like this:
In the conditional part (after if) it is used, and in the main part would have with a verb in the third form (V3):
If we had left earlier, we would have caught a train. - If we had left earlier, we would have caught the train.
If he had studied better, he would have got a job. - If he had studied better, he would have gotten a job.
Of course, you can use negations in both parts of the conditional sentence:
If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train. - If we had left earlier, we would not have missed the train.
If he had worked better, he wouldn't have been fired. - If he had worked better, he wouldn't have been fired.
If I hadn't called you, you wouldn't have known the news. - If I hadn't called you, you wouldn't have heard the news.
Conditional 3 sentences are really long and scary. It's not clear why you can't just use ? To answer this question, let's look at the values of Conditional 3.
Conditional sentences of the third type convey an imaginary, impossible situation in the past. It happens that you would like to change something in the past, to act differently, but time has already passed and changes are impossible. Or, on the contrary, everything happened successfully, and you talk about what would have happened if the conditions had been different. It is for these purposes that they exist .
Let's look at the basic values Conditional 3 .
1. An imaginary situation in the past; alternative reality situation:
If I had bought that watch yesterday, I would have spent all my money. - If I had bought that watch yesterday, I would have spent all my money. (But I didn’t buy them, so I have the money)
If we hadn't known Alex, we would have believed him. - If we didn't know Alex, we would believe him. (But we know the deceiver Alex, so we didn't believe him.)
2. Regret about an action in the past, a desire to change the past:
If I hadn't been so rude to him, we wouldn't have discussed. “If I hadn’t been rude to him, we wouldn’t have had a fight.” (But I was rude to him and we had a fight, so I'm sorry.)
If I had told her the way, she wouldn't have got lost. - If I had told her the way, she wouldn't have gotten lost. (But I didn't tell her the way, and now I regret it.)
3. Criticism of the perfect action. When the speaker seems to say: “I know what I should have done”:
If you had set up an alarm clock, you wouldn't have been late. - If you set the alarm clock, you wouldn't be late. (But you so-and-so, didn't set the alarm clock, and were late.)
If they hadn't hesitated, they would have got control of the situation. - If they had not hesitated, they would have gained control of the situation. (But they missed the time, and therefore the speaker criticizes them.)
Let's return to the question of times. Is it necessary to use? If you use instead of the Past Perfect, you get: an unreal action in the present. Let's compare:
|
Conditional 2 |
Conditional 3 |
|
I am not cold now. If I were cold, I would wear a coat. - To menot nowCold. If I was cold, I would wear a coat. |
I wasn't cold yesterday. If I had been cold, I would have worn a coat. - To meNotwasColdyesterday. If I were cold, I would wear a coat. |
|
He doesn't know Mary. If he knew her, he would ask her out. - HeNotknowsMary. If he knew her, he would have asked her out. |
He didn't know Mary. If he had known her, he would have asked her out. - HeNotknewMary. If he knew her, he would have asked her out on a date. |
If you say about the past, and you want to show that the action relates not to the present, but to the past, then you only need to use Conditional 3.
Please note the abbreviations: conditional part had is abbreviated, and in basic There are two possible options: you can shorten would or have :
If I"d (had) read that book, I"d (would) have known the answer.
If I"d (had) read that book, I would"ve (have) known the answer.
In colloquial speech, abbreviations are commonly used, so be careful.
Instead of would Other modal verbs may be used: could, might or should. The choice of verb depends on what you want to express.
Could- opportunity in the past:
If he hadn't been drunk, he could have driven a car. - If he hadn't been drunk, he could have driven a car.
If we had been friends with them, we could have asked for help. - If we were friends with them, we could ask for help.
Might- probability in the past:
If he hadn't dropped out, he might have become a scientist. - If he hadn't dropped out, he might have become a scientist.
If she had said "Yes", we might have been a nice couple. - If she had said yes, we could have been a beautiful couple.
Should- expression of recommendation:
If you had known about their plan, you should have told me. “If you knew about their plans, you should have told me.”
If she had helped us, we should have thanked her. - If she helped us, we should thank her.
For expressions of criticism in English there is a separate construction should have done, you can learn more about it from this.
To express criticism about actions taken, conditional part use If I had been you or If I had been in your position:
If I had been you, I would have told the truth. - If I were you, I would tell the truth.
If I had been in your position, I would have accepted the job offer. - If I were you, I would accept the job offer.
Compare with the construction If I were you, which expresses a real action. You can read more about it in.
Can be used instead Past Perfect Continuous when you need to pass a long action:
If I hadn't been wearing a hat, I would have got a sunstroke. - If I hadn't been wearing a hat, I would have gotten a sunstroke.
If we hadn't been friends for years, we wouldn't have understood each other. - If we had not been friends for many years, we would not have understood each other.
So, Conditional 3 denotes imagining an action in the past, an impossible action in the past, regret about the past, or criticism of an action performed. Formed Conditional 3 in the following way:
We really hope that this article helped you understand and learn how to use conditional sentences of the third type. We wish you continued success in learning English!
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