Future Conditionals

Future Real Conditional

FORM

[If / When ... Simple Present ..., ... Simple Future ...]
[... Simple Future ... if / when ... Simple Present ...]
Notice that there is no future in the if- or when-clause.

USE

The Future Real Conditional describes what you think you will do in a specific situation in the future. It is different from other Real Conditional forms because, unlike the present or the past, you do not know what will happen in the future. Although this form is called "real", you are usually imagining or guessing about the future. It is called "real" because it is still possible that the action might occur in the future. Carefully study the following examples and compare them to the Future Unreal Conditional examples further down the page.

Examples:

• If I go to my friend's house for dinner tonight, I will take a bottle of wine or some flowers.
  I am still not sure if I will go to his house or not.
• When I have a day off from work, I am going to go to the beach.
  I have to wait until I have a day off.
• If the weather is nice, she is going to walk to work.
  It depends on the weather.
• Jerry will help me with my homework when he has time.
  I have to wait until he has time.
• I am going to read if there is nothing on TV.
  It depends on the TV schedule.
• A: What are you going to do if it rains?
  B: I am going to stay at home.

IMPORTANT If / When

Both "if" and "when" are used in the Future Real Conditional, but the use is different from other Real Conditional forms. In the Future Real Conditional, "if" suggests that you do not know if something will happen or not. "When" suggests that something will definitely happen at some point; we are simply waiting for it to occur. Notice also that the Simple Future is not used in if-clauses or when-clauses.

Examples:

• When you call me, I will give you the address.
  You are going to call me later, and at that time, I will give you the address.
• If you call me, I will give you the address.
  If you want the address, you can call me.

Future Unreal Conditional

FORM 1 (Most Common Form)

[If ... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb ...]
[... would + verb ... if ... Simple Past ...]
Notice that this form looks the same as Present Unreal Conditional.

USE

The Future Unreal Conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the future. It is not as common as the Future Real Conditional because English speakers often leave open the possibility that anything MIGHT happen in the future. It is only used when a speaker needs to emphasize that something is impossible. Because this form looks like Present Unreal Conditional, many native speakers prefer Form 2 described below.

Examples:

• If I had a day off from work next week, I would go to the beach.
  I don't have a day off from work.
• I am busy next week. If I had time, I would come to your party.
  I can't come.
• Jerry would help me with my homework tomorrow if he didn't have to work.
  He does have to work tomorrow.

FORM 2

[If ... were + present participle ..., ... would be + present participle ...]
[... would be + present participle ... if ... were + present participle ...]

USE

Form 2 of the Future Unreal Conditional is also used to talk about imaginary situations in the future. Native speakers often prefer this form over Form 1 to emphasize that the conditional form is in the future rather than the present. Also notice in the examples below that this form can be used in the if-clause, the result, or both parts of the sentence.

Examples:

• If I were going to Fiji next week, I would be taking my scuba diving gear with me. In if-clause and result
  I am not going to go to Fiji and I am not going to take my scuba gear with me.
• If I were not visiting my grandmother tomorrow, I would help you study. In if-clause
  I am going to visit my grandmother tomorrow.
• I am busy next week. If I had time, I would be coming to your party. In result
  I am not going to come to your party.

FORM 3

[If ... were going to + verb ..., ... would be + present participle ...]
[... would be + present participle ... if ... were going to + verb ...]

USE

Form 3 of the Future Unreal Conditional is a variation of Form 2 which is also used to talk about imaginary situations in the future. Notice that this form is only different from Form 2 in the if-clause. Native speakers use Form 3 to emphasize that the conditional form is a plan or prediction in the same way "be going to" is used to indicate a plan or prediction.

Examples:

• If I were going to go to Fiji next week, I would be taking my scuba diving gear with me.
  I am not going to go to Fiji and I am not going to take my scuba gear with me.
• If I were not going to visit my grandmother tomorrow, I would help you study.
  I am going to visit my grandmother tomorrow.

IMPORTANT Only use "If"

Only the word "if" is used with the Past Unreal Conditional because you are discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.

Examples:

• I would buy that computer tomorrow when it were cheaper. Not Correct
• I would buy that computer tomorrow if it were cheaper. Correct

EXCEPTION Conditional with Modal Verbs

There are some special conditional forms for modal verbs in English:
would + can = could
would + shall = should
would + may = might
The words "can," "shall" and "may" cannot be used with "would." Instead, they must be used in these special forms.

Examples:

• If I went to Egypt next year, I would can learn Arabic. Unfortunately, that's not possible. Not Correct
• If I went to Egypt next year, I could learn Arabic. Unfortunately, that's not possible. Correct

The words "could," should," "might" and "ought to" include conditional, so you cannot combine them with "would."

Examples:

• If I didn't have to work tonight, I would could go to the fitness center. Not Correct
• If I didn't have to work tonight, I could go to the fitness center. Correct

Future Real Conditional vs. Future Unreal Conditional

To help you understand the difference between the Future Real Conditional and the Future Unreal Conditional, compare the examples below:

Examples:

• If you help me move tomorrow, I will buy you dinner. Future Real Conditional
  I don't know if you can help me.
• If you helped me move tomorrow, I would buy you dinner. Future Unreal Conditional
  You can't help me, or you don't want to help me.

Used To

FORM

[used to + VERB]

Example:

• I used to go to the beach every day.

It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms; however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using Simple Past.

USE 1 Habit in the Past

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

Examples:

• Jerry used to study English.
• Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
• I used to start work at 9 o'clock.
• Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

USE 2 Past Facts and Generalizations

"Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.

Examples:

• I used to live in Paris.
• Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
• George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.
• Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.

"Used to" vs. Simple Past

Both Simple Past and "Used to" can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations; however, "used to" is preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in positive sentences. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.

Examples:

• You used to play the piano.
• Did you play the piano when you were young?
• You did not play the piano when you were young.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• Jerry used to pay the bills. Active
• The bills used to be paid by Jerry. Passive

Past Conditionals

Past Real Conditional

FORM

[If / When ... Simple Past ..., ... Simple Past ...]
[... Simple Past... if / when ... Simple Past ...]

USE

The Past Real Conditional describes what you used to do in particular real-life situations. It suggests that your habits have changed and you do not usually do these things today.

Examples:

• If I went to a friend's house for dinner, I usually took a bottle of wine or some flowers. I don't do that anymore.
• When I had a day off from work, I often went to the beach. Now, I never get time off.
• If the weather was nice, she often walked to work. Now, she usually drives.
• Jerry always helped me with my homework when he had time. But he doesn't do that anymore.
• A: What did you usually do when it rained?
  B: I usually stayed at home.

IMPORTANT Used to

The form "used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. This form is commonly used in Past Real Conditional sentences to emphasize that something was a habit. The examples below have the same meaning as the examples above.

Examples:

• If I went to a friend's house for dinner, I used to take a bottle of wine or some flowers. I don't do that anymore.
• When I had a day off from work, I used to go to the beach. Now, I never get time off.
• If the weather was nice, she used to walk to work. Now, she usually drives.
• Jerry used to help me with my homework when he had time. But he doesn't do that anymore.
• A: What did you usually do when it rained?
  B: I used to stay at home.

IMPORTANT If / When

Both "if" and "when" are used in the Past Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that something happened less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happened regularly.

Examples:

• When I had a day off from work, I usually went to the beach.
  I regularly had days off from work.
• If I had a day off from work, I usually went to the beach.
  I rarely had days off from work.

Past Unreal Conditional

FORM

[If ... Past Perfect ..., ... would have + past participle ... ]
[... would have + past participle ... if ... Past Perfect ...]

USE

The Past Unreal Conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the past. You can describe what you would have done differently or how something could have happened differently if circumstances had been different.

Examples:

• If I had owned a car, I would have driven to work. But I didn't own one, so I took the bus.
• She would have traveled around the world if she had had more money. But she didn't have much money, so she never traveled.
• I would have read more as a child if I hadn't watched so much TV. Unfortunately, I did watch a lot of TV, so I never read for entertainment.
• Mary would have gotten the job and moved to Japan if she had studied Japanese in school instead of French.
• If Jack had worked harder, he would have earned more money. Unfortunately, he was lazy and he didn't earn much.
• A: What would you have done if you had won the lottery last week?
  B: I would have bought a house.
• A: What city would you have chosen if you had decided to move to the United States?
  B: I would have chosen Seattle.

IMPORTANT Only use "If"

Only the word "if" is used with the Past Unreal Conditional because you are discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.

Examples:

• I would have bought that computer when it had been cheaper. Not Correct
• I would have bought that computer if it had been cheaper. Correct

EXCEPTION Conditional with Modal Verbs

There are some special conditional forms for modal verbs in English:
would have + can = could have
would have + shall = should have
would have + may = might have
The words "can," "shall" and "may" cannot be used with "would have." Instead, they must be used in these special forms.

Examples:

• If I had gone to Egypt, I could have learned Arabic.
• If she had had time, she might have gone to the party.

The words "could," should," "might" and "ought to" include Conditional, so you cannot combine them with "would have."

Examples:

• If I had had more time, I could have exercised after work.
• If he had invited you, you might have gone.

Present Conditionals

Present Real Conditional

FORM

[If / When ... Simple Present ..., ... Simple Present ...]
[... Simple Present ... if / when ... Simple Present ...]

USE

The Present Real Conditional is used to talk about what you normally do in real-life situations.

Examples:

• If I go to a friend's house for dinner, I usually take a bottle of wine or some flowers.
• When I have a day off from work, I often go to the beach.
• If the weather is nice, she walks to work.
• Jerry helps me with my homework when he has time.
• I read if there is nothing on TV.
• A: What do you do when it rains?
  B: I stay at home.
• A: Where do you stay if you go to Sydney?
  B: I stay with my friends near the harbor.

IMPORTANT If / When

Both "if" and "when" are used in the Present Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that something happens less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happens regularly.

Examples:

• When I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
  I regularly have days off from work.
• If I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
  I rarely have days off from work.

Present Unreal Conditional

FORM

[If ... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb ...]
[... would + verb ... if ... Simple Past ...]

USE

The Present Unreal Conditional is used to talk about what you would generally do in imaginary situations.

Examples:

• If I owned a car, I would drive to work. But I don't own a car.
• She would travel around the world if she had more money. But she doesn't have much money.
• I would read more if I didn't watch so much TV.
• Mary would move to Japan if she spoke Japanese.
• If they worked harder, they would earn more money.
• A: What would you do if you won the lottery?
  B: I would buy a house.
• A: Where would you live if you moved to the U.S.?
  B: I would live in Seattle.

EXCEPTION If I were ...

In the Present Unreal Conditional, the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct. In written English or in testing situations, you should always use "were." However, in everyday conversation, "was" is often used.

Examples:

• If he were French, he would live in Paris.
• If she were rich, she would buy a yacht.
• I would play basketball if I were taller.
• I would buy that computer if it were cheaper.
• I would buy that computer if it was cheaper. Not Correct (But often said in conversation.)

IMPORTANT Only use "If"

Only the word "if" is used with the Present Unreal Conditional because you are discussing imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.

Examples:

• I would buy that computer when it were cheaper. Not Correct
• I would buy that computer if it were cheaper. Correct

EXCEPTION Conditional with Modal Verbs

There are some special conditional forms for modal verbs in English:
would + can = could
would + shall = should
would + may = might
The words "can," "shall" and "may" cannot be used with "would." Instead, they must be used in these special forms.

Examples:

• If I went to Egypt, I would can learn Arabic. Not Correct
• If I went to Egypt, I could learn Arabic. Correct

• If she had time, she would may go to the party. Not Correct
• If she had time, she might go to the party. Correct

The words "could," should," "might" and "ought to" include conditional, so you cannot combine them with "would."

Examples:

• If I had more time, I would could exercise after work. Not Correct
• If I had more time, I could exercise after work. Correct

• If he invited you, you really would should go. Not Correct
• If he invited you, you really should go. Correct

Continuous Conditionals

Those of you who have studied Englishpage.com's Verb Tense Tutorial should be familiar with continuous verb tenses such as Present Continuous, Past Continuous, Future Continuous, Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, and Future Perfect Continuous. The Verb Tense Tutorial gives you all the information you need to create continuous Real Conditional sentences. But many English learners are not aware of the fact that we can use continuousness in imaginary situations as well. Study the examples below to learn how to create continuous Unreal Conditional sentences that will make you sound like a native speaker.

Present Unreal Conditional + Continuous

FORM

If-clause: [were + present participle]
Result: [would be + present participle]

USE

Present Unreal Conditional + Continuous is used to discuss imaginary situations which could be happening at this very moment.

Examples in the if-clause:

• If the sun were shining, I would go to the beach.
  Unfortunately, it is raining so I can't go.
• If Sam were sitting here, we would be able to ask him the question ourselves.
  But Sam is not sitting here. He is somewhere else.
• We would be able to go sailing if the wind were blowing.
  But there is no wind, so we can't go sailing.

Examples in the result:

• If I were in Hawaii, I would be lying on the beach.
  But I am not in Hawaii.
• If my grandfather were here, he would be talking about the war.
  But he is not here.
• I would be rafting down the Colorado River right now if my leg weren't broken.
  But my leg is broken, so I am not there.

Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous

FORM

If-clause: [had been + present participle]
Result: [would have been + present participle]

USE

Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous is used to discuss imaginary situations happening at a very specific time in the past or over a period of time in the past.

Examples in the if-clause:

• If I had been talking to him when he said that, I would have punched him in the face.
  But I wasn't talking to him when he said that.
• If he had been standing near the house when the wall collapsed, it would have killed him.
  Luckily, he moved away before the wall fell.

Examples in the result:

• If you had gone to his house last night, he would have been sitting on his couch in front of the TV.
  But you didn't go to his house, so you didn't see what he was doing.
• If she had missed her train, he would have been waiting for her at the station for hours.
  Luckily, she caught her train and he didn't have to wait.

NOTICE that the Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous can be used like the Past Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize interruptions or parallel actions in the past.

Examples in the if-clause:

• If James had been crossing the street when the car ran the red light, it would have hit him.
• If Tom had been studying while Becky was making dinner, he would have finished his homework early and they could have gone to the movie.

Examples in the result:

• If James hadn't stopped to tie his shoe, he would have been crossing the street when the car ran the red light.
• If you had gone to their house last night, Bob would have been reading the newspaper, Nancy would have been talking on the phone and the kids would have been watching TV. They always do the same things.

NOTICE that Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous can also be used like Present Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize a duration of time.

Examples in the if-clause:

• Scott said he had been studying Greek for more than five years. If he had been studying the language that long, I think he would have been able to interpret for us at the airport.
• Sarah claimed she had been waiting in the rain for more than twenty minutes by the time we arrived, but she wasn't even wet. If she had been waiting that long, I think she would have been totally drenched by the time we arrived.

Examples in the result:

• Terry's plane arrived ahead of schedule. If I hadn't decided to go to the airport early, she would have been waiting there for more than twenty minutes before I arrived.
• At the travel agency yesterday, I waited for more than an hour for somebody to help me. Finally, I got up and left. If I hadn't decided to leave, I would have been sitting there forever.

Future Unreal Conditional + Continuous

FORM

If-clause: [were + present participle]
Result: [would be + present participle]

USE

Future Unreal Conditional + Continuous can be used like the Future Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize interruptions or parallel actions in the future.
NOTICE The future form looks the same as the present form. The future is indicated with words such as "tomorrow," "next week" or "in a couple of days."

Examples in the if-clause:

• If I were waiting there next week when he gets off the plane, he would be totally surprised.
  But I will not be waiting there, so he won't be surprised.
• If he were staying in that hotel next week while the conference is being held, he might be able to meet some of the key speakers and tell them about our new product.
  I don't think he will be able to stay at the hotel, so he won't be able to meet anybody there.

Examples in the result:

• If I were able to go to the train station tonight to meet Sandra, I would be standing on the platform waiting for her when she arrives.
  I won't be able to go to the train station, so I will not be standing there when she arrives.
• If you went over to Paul's house after work, he would probably be sitting there at his computer surfing the Internet.
  But you won't go over.

OTHER MODIFIERS

In the preceding lessons we have discussed nominal group structure using examples in which the headwords were common nouns. In such cases the nominal group structure is most complex, but we should also say something about the type of modification which occurs with the two other classes of headword, pronouns and proper nouns. With these, modification tends to be more restricted. For instance, the personal pronouns cannot normally be premodified by a deictic or an adjective, and where this does occur it is unusual.
e.g.	A brand new me.
	Lucky you.
Pronouns are commonly post-modified, however, and there are various words such as reflexive pronouns, and words such as "both", "alone" and "all" which can act as qualifiers for personal pronouns. Prepositional groups may sometimes do this too. Words like "else", "more", and many ordinary adjectives such as "different", "new", "clever" etc, can also function as qualifiers for indefinite pronouns, as may prepositional or adverbial groups.
e.g.	Amir and Dhea all went.
	Nobody else saw it.
	Amir and Dhea in this party think otherwise.
	I myself didn't like it.
	Amir and Deha need somebody clever.
	I don't know anyone that tall.
	Do you want anything more?
	Amir did something bad.
	Amir and Dhea alone can't do much.
	Someone in the group took it.
Vocatives may also be post-modified:-
e.g. You at the back stop talking.
It is worth pointing out that pronouns actually stand for a whole nominal group, and not simply the "thing" which is denoted by the headword, which is why they are not generally premodified themselves.
e.g.	A great big long-necked bird flew past. We watched as it flew into the distance.
There is one important exception to this, however, which is the pronoun "one / ones", which may function as a headword exactly like any common noun and is relatively unrestricted as to the nominal group structure which may form around it. This pronoun thus represents only the headword and not the whole nominal group for the thing to which it refers.
e.g.	Which of these boxes would you like?
	I'd like the funny-looking one with brass knobs.
	I'd like the wooden ones.
Proper nouns may take adjective premodifiers, but not usually a deictic. Qualifiers can also be attached, and are typically formed from prepositional groups. There is also a special use of nominal groups which can function as qualifiers for proper nouns:-
e.g.	Lucky Amir.
	Big bad Amir.
	Clever Trevor.
	Dhea with the light brown hair.
	Dhea the secretary told me.
ADJECTIVES We have seen a number of examples of adjective modifiers which have featured in the previous discussion of nominal group structure, and now we shall look more closely at how they behave and may be classified. If we return to a previous example, we saw three distinct types of adjective were featured:-
e.g. The stale sterilised Devonshire cream.
We can recognise "Devonshire" as the name of an English county - i.e. it is a proper noun. The word "sterilised" is a participle formed from the verb "sterilise", and is thus also a derived adjective. Only "stale" has no other derivation or function, and is thus a "true" adjective. We shall call words like "stale" and "sterilised" EPITHETS to distinguish them from NOUN MODIFIERS such as "Devonshire". We can distinguish then between "stale" and "sterilised" in several ways.
(i)	"Sterilised" is a participle - i.e. it is a derived inflected form.
(ii)	"Stale" is a gradable epithet, "sterilised" is not.
	That is, there are degrees of staleness which can be
	expressed by words such as "very" or "rather".
	e.g. rather stale, a bit stale, really stale
	Words like "sterilised" cannot be so graded.
	Something is either sterilised or it is not.
We identify these two classes of epithet by calling words which behave like "sterilised" CLASSIFIERS - they modify the headword by attributing to it an either/or classification. Words like "stale" attribute qualities to the headword which are a matter of degree, and are thus gradable, and we call these QUALITATIVE epithets. Classifiers are usually some derived (inflected) form, typically created by means of a suffix from a noun, or a verb participle.
e.g.	southern, English, practical, ruined, dining
	southern hospitality
	English tea
	practical problem
	ruined temple
	dining table
(Note that participles may also function as gradable epithets - e.g. a very exciting film). The qualitative epithets really comprise two broad categories. There are those words such as "old", "big", "slow" etc which express a more or less objective attribute of the headword - they have an "experiential" meaning; and there are those words such as "nice", "good", "lovely" etc which express the speaker's attitude to the thing referred to, and are to some extent subjective. There is a tendency when both types occur in the same group for attitudinal epithets to precede experiential ones, but this is not a hard and fast rule, and may vary in particular instances.
e.g.	a nice hot cup of tea
	a big nasty noise
There is also some overlap between attitudinal and experiential meaning in that the same word can often express both aspects in its semantic range.
e.g.	Amir's a silly boy.
The principal functional difference between experiential and attitudinal epithets is that the former are able to define the headword in terms of a norm to which they refer, whereas attitudinal epithets function in incorporating an INTERPERSONAL element of meaning - they serve only to define how the speaker feels or thinks about the referent, not to relate it to an objective point of reference. Thus if I say that something is "old" you will understand this with reference to some norm of what constitutes the feature "oldness", but if I say that something is "beautiful" you will understand this as an expression of my own feelings towards the thing. Two of the most common types of experiential epithets are those which refer to age, and those which refer to size. These often occur together in the same group, and when this is so there is a tendency for size epithets to precede those concerning age.
e.g.	a little old village
	a big new Cadillac
If we then add an attitudinal epithet to the above examples we get:-
	a charming little old village
	a splendid big new Cadillac

POST-DEICTIC MODIFIERS

e have already seen that indefinite quantifiers such as "some" or "enough" occupy the deictic slot, and how quantifiers function as pre-deictics. Quantifiers also function as "post-deictics", as in the following:-
e.g.	The few people who came soon left.
	The many interesting sights made the trip worthwhile.
As well as quantifiers, other words which can appear as post-deictics are numerals such as "two", "third" and so on, and general ordinals such as "last", "next", "other" etc.
e.g.	Take the first turning on the right.
	It's the last episode tonight

The word OWN is also used following the possessive, as an intensifier, and this gives the additional possibility of a prepositional group which marks possession as a qualifier.
e.g. He has	a	car	of his own.
	d	h	--- q ----

At this point it is worth considering how the relationship between deixis and the system of counting and quantifying is manifested in the contrasts which are expressed in the system of quantifiers. For instance, there is a contrast between "many" and "much" which is usually described in EFL textbooks as being related to the countable/uncountable distinction of the headword. This is of course true, but there are also other distinctions as may be seen from the following.
e.g.	(i) Many restrictions made things difficult.
	(ii) The many restrictions made things difficult.
	(iii) Much interest was shown in the new scheme.
	û (iv) The much interest was shown. û
While "many" appears as post-deictic, this is not the case with "much", which can only function either as deictic or pre-deictic.
e.g. Much of the trouble was due to bad workmanship.
In the case of example (i) above, the deictic is the "zero article", whereas in (iii) this is not the case since "much" cannot be preceded by another deictic. "Much" is thus itself a deictic paradigm, whereas "many" is not.
e.g. One of his many books.
There is also a contrast between "each" and "every" in the ways they may be used. "Each" can appear in the pre-deictic slot in the normal way.
e.g. Each of the boys received a prize.
"Every" cannot be used like this, but may appear in a rankshifted nominal group.
e.g.	Every one of the boys received a prize.
	Every bottle of Aunt Dhea's wine was drunk.
There is a system of contrasts which may be expressed by the words "few" and "little" as post-deictics, depending on which form of deictic is selected.
e.g.	(i) Few people in the audience liked the show.
	(ii) A few people in the audience liked the show.
	(iii) The few people in the audience liked the show.