One important type of adverbial clauses is the group of CONDITIONAL CLAUSES. They are not all easy, the more difficult types are not easy at all.
There are basically four types of conditional clauses (type 0, 1, 2, and 3), and some of them can be mixed. Let's start with the most widely used type, which is probably type 2.
| Conditional sentences TYPE 2 |
With type 2 you express an idea that you may have that is not real, only a dream, or something that you imagine. This type is sometimes referred to as the unreal conditional clause. I am not rich, but I can imagine what it would be like to be rich, what I would do if I had a lot of money.
If I were rich I would buy a beautiful house.
Let's analyze this sentence: The conditional clause is "If I were rich....";
"…I would buy a beautiful house." is the main clause (Hauptsatz).
Of course, you can swap the main clause and the conditional clause:
I would buy a beautiful houseif I were rich.
Is it not “If I was rich...?” - Yes, that's not wrong; it is accepted as correct, especially in spoken English. However, the grammatically perfect version is with the subjunctive (= Konjunktiv) mode were. The subjunctive is not very important in English, you don't see it very often. This example is one of the very few occasions that allow us to make the subjunctive mode visible. Technically. in a sentence like "If he studied more it would be better." the verb studied is also in the subjunctive mode, but we don't see it. There is no visible difference between studied in the indicative mode and studied in the subjunctive mode.
Thus, we only need to remember that there is PAST TENSE in the if-clause and conditional (= would + verb) in the main clause. This is the rule for type 2:
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If – clause with past tense |
Main clause with conditional |
|
If I were rich |
I would buy a beautiful house. |
In English (and in Italian!) the use of the conditional tense (would…) is incorrect in the if-clause.
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We do NOT say “This is tricky for a German speaking student because in German it is allowed to combine wenn + würde, which sounds like if + would.
You remember the slogan:
| IF + WOULD IS NO GOOD |
… which is only correct in the case of conditional clauses. If + would actually exists:
If you would like a drink just help yourself from the fridge!
This is not a conditional clause, it is an offer.
Another example: We would be grateful if you would let us have some samples of your new product.
Again, this is not a conditional clause, it is a formal request in a business letter.
OR: If she would only allow me to help her! This is a wish, not a conditional clause.
Instead of would you can also create conditional clauses with might or could. Of course, the meaning of the sentence changes accordingly.
OK. Now you need some practice. As you know, understanding alone is not enough when learning a language.
Online, you can find some useful exercises on ego4u.com or englishpage,com, first-english.org, myenglishpages.com, englisch-hilfen.de, etc...
If you like being creative you can invent your own set of sentences that you can practise as a speaking activity, with a classmate.
Think of many different things you can ask a classmate, with the following question pattern:
| What would you do if... | you saw a burglar breaking into your neighbour's house? |
| What would you do if... | you lost your smartphone? |
| What would you do if... | a famous star invited you to dinner? |
| What would you do if... | all teachers were fired and you were told that you have to study online? |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
| What would you do if... | (Use your imagination!) |
When you are ready with a set of questions, ask a classmate and they will have to answer your questions. Please ask your classmate to always answer with the whole conditional sentence, i.e. What would you do if you saw your best friend bullying another student?
Full answer: If I saw my best friend bullying another student I would talk to him/her.
Continue this avtivity for a while, and get involved in it! ... and, of course, also answer the questions of your classmates!
You should also practice the following set of questions:
| In which situation would you... | call the police? |
| In which situation would you... | talk to your best friend? |
| In which situation would you... | start crying? |
| In which situation would you... | talk to the principal? |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
| In which situation would you... | (Use your imagination!) |
Find a classmate that is willing to do this talking activity with you!
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WHEN or IF ? |
Before we proceed to the next type, let us have a look at the difference between if and when . At first sight, it seems to be perfectly easy: If stands for a condition, When is for time clauses.
This is perfectly clear in the following example: You say goodbye to a friend at the airport. You don’t say “If you arrive please send me a message!” (= In case you arrive / On condition that you arrive…)
Rather, you say, “When you arrive please send me a message.” (= As soon as you arrive, it is a question of time only… )
The difference between if and when also becomes clear in the following anecdote:
Many years ago I was a subscriber to TIME magazine, and there were always cheap subscription offers inside the magazine that read, “If you subscribe today you will get TIME magazine at a very favourable price!”
Then, the PR department of TIME magazine probably came up with the idea of replacing the if with when: “When you subscribe today you will get TIME magazine at a very favourable price!”
Today, the advertisements are still with when; the if has never come back. By using when they suggest that it is perfectly clear that the customer is going to subscribe to the magazine, it is only a question of time…
For a South Tyrolean German speaking native the difference between if and when may seem clear, but then again it isn’t, simply because in our dialect there is no difference between wenn (= falls) and wenn (= sobald)
This is also relevant in conditional clauses of type 1.
„Wenn's laitet nor miaßm'r in Tescht ogebm.“ (wenn = when)
„Wenn m'r ins nit schlainen nor werr m'r nit fertig.“ (wenn = if)
It is a good idea to compare if with the Italian word se. and when with the Italian word quando. If you can remember that, than everything will be all right.
This last sentence is a conditional sentence of type 1. Let's have a look:
| Conditional Sentences Type 1 |
Before we focus on type 1, consider this chart:
| Type 0 | If I have time | I always go to all parties. |
| Type 1 | If I have time | I will go to Peter's party. |
| Type 2 | If I had time | I would go to Peter's party. |
| Type 3 | If I had had time | I would have gone to Peter's party. |
As you see in this chart, type 0 is for general statements about things that are always or generally true.
Type 1 is for things that will probably happen, or things that the speaker will probably do.
Type 2 is - as we have seen - for things we only imagine; they are not really true, they can be unreal.
Type 3 is for the past.
Conditional clauses type 1 are used when we know that something will probably happen (or we will probably do something); but there is a problem – or a condition that might prevent this something from happening. So it will only happen if…
Example:
Can you come to my birthday party?
- Of course I can! I’d love to! But there’s this meeting with my boss… and it might take a little longer, or my boss might not be able to be on time… who knows.
But if this meeting finishes on time I will certainly come to your party!
Nothing spectacular in this sentence… The only thing is that in German, for the same type of conditional clause we usually use Präsens in the main clause, and not the future tense - Zukunft. We would say:
Wenn mein Treffen mit dem Chef pünktlich aufhört, komme ich sicher zu deiner Party! (nicht werde ich kommen)
And since we do that in German this is a quite common mistake in English. The students transfer the Präsens that is used in German into their English conditional clause, which needs the future tense if it is a type 1 clause.
So you need to remember: present tense in the if-clause, future (usually will-future, but future with going to is also possible) in the main clause. The present tense in the main clause is reserved for type 0 conditional clauses.
Will can be replaced with might, and the meaning changes, of course.
For online exercises please go the same pages as suggested above, in the type 1 – section:
ego4u.com or englishpage,com, first-english.org, myenglishpages.com, englisch-hilfen.de, etc...
For an exercise in pdf format, click here.
If you like being creative, you can play the “Pessimist Game”:
Tell a classmate that she or he is your daughter/son, and that she or he is planning to go camping next summer. You play the role of the over-anxious mother/father:
Student A: Mum/Dad, I want to go camping next summer!
Student B: Are you crazy? What will you do if you get mugged?
Student A: I don’t think I will get mugged, I’ll take care of myself properly, and there will be my dog with me!
Student B: Yeah, but what if…?
Student A: Well, if I get mugged my dog will attack the mugger and I will call the police!
Student B: What will you do if you lose your ID?
etc...
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Conditional Clauses Type 3 |
These conditional clauses are set in the past.
If I had studied more I wouldn’t have got a five.
If the weather had been good we would have climbed the mountain.
I wouldn’t have bought the cake if you had told me that you don’t like sweets.
This is all set in the past – it’s over. We just want to inform that things would have worked out differently if…
So the concept is easy. What’s not so easy is that we need the past perfect tense in the if-clause and the conditional perfect in the main clause. There’s only one easy aspect to this: These tenses are easy… to forget.
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IF + PAST PERFECT (had + past participle) |
CONDITIONAL PERFECT (would have + past participle) |
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If I had been there in time |
I wouldn’t have missed the bus |
Type 3 is also possible without if:
Had I listened to my dad, I wouldn’t have got into so much trouble.
Type 3 is the type that is most easily forgotten, although it is not particularly difficult to understand it.
You need to practice type 3 more than the other types!
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Type 3 mixed with type 2 |
Sometimes a situation now would be different if something had been different in the past.
You forgot to top up your mobile phone credit? The consequence is that you can’t call your Mom now.
If I hadn’t forgotten to top up my credit I would be able to call my Mum now.
I didn’t do my Latin homework, so now my Latin teacher is cross with me.
If I had done my homework the teacher wouldn’t be mad at me now.
This is type 3 in the if-clause and type 2 in the main clause.
The other way round is also possible:
If I weren’t so shy I would have talked to that girl (boy), (s)he would have given me her/his number and I could send her/him messages now.
The latter example is type 2 in the if-clause and type 3 in the main clause.
If you are already familiar with both type 2 and type 3 there is nothing special to study – just think logically, and don’t use would in the if-clause.
The fact that there is nothing special to study doesn’t mean that you don’t need to practice.
You must practice!
For online exercises please go the same pages as suggested above, in the type 1 – section:
ego4u.com or englishpage,com, first-english.org, myenglishpages.com, englisch-hilfen.de, etc...
For an exercise in pdf format, click here.
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Conditional Clauses Type 0 |
Type 0 is with present tense in both the if-clause and the main clause.
If I heat water up to 100 degrees Celsius it starts boiling.
When I heat water up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit it starts boiling.
This is a general truth. In this sentence if can be replaced with when without changing much to its meaning:
Imperatives or requests are also with present tense in both parts of the whole sentence:
If you don’t like beer, [well then] don’t drink it!
If you go to the supermarket please buy some eggs!
(To be continued)
