Conditional : Unreal Past

The past tense is sometimes used in English to refer to an 'unreal' situation. So, although the tense is the past, we are usually talking about the present, e.g. in a Type 2 conditional sentence:

If an elephant and a mouse fell in love, they would have many problems.

Although fell is in the past tense, we are talking about a hypothetical situation that might exist now or at any time, but we are not referring to the past. We call this use the unreal past.

Other situations where this occurs are:

• after other words and expressions like 'if' (supposing, if only, what if);
• after the verb 'to wish';
• after the expression 'I'd rather..'

Expressions like 'if'

The following expressions can be used to introduce hypothetical situations:
- supposing, if only, what if. They are followed by a past tense to indicate that the condition they introduce is unreal:

• Supposing an elephant and a mouse fell in love? (= but we know this is unlikely or impossible)
• What if we painted the room purple? (= that would be very surprising)
• If only I had more money. (= but I haven't).

These expressions can also introduce hypothetical situations in the past and then they are followed by the past perfect.

Examples

• If only I hadn't kissed the frog (= I did and it was a mistake because he turned into a horrible prince, but I can't change it now.)
• What if the elephant had trodden on the mouse? (She didn't, but we can imagine the result!)
• Supposing I had given that man my money! (I didn't, so I've still got my money now.)

The verb to wish

The verb to wish is followed by an 'unreal' past tense when we want to talk about situations in the present that we are not happy about but cannot change:

• I wish I had more money (=but I haven't)
• She wishes she was beautiful (= but she's not)
• We wish we could come to your party (but we can't)

When we want to talk about situations in the past that we are not happy about or actions that we regret, we use the verb to wish followed by the past perfect:

• I wish I hadn't said that (= but I did)
• He wishes he hadn't bought the car (= but he did buy it.)
• I wish I had taken that job in New York (= but I didn't, so I'm stuck in Bristol)

NOTE: When we want to talk about situations we are not happy about and where we wantsomeone else to change them, we use to wish followed by would + infinitive:

• I wish he would stop smoking. (= I don't like it, I want him to change it)
• I wish you would go away. (= I don't want you here, I want you to take some action)
• I wish you wouldn't squeeze the toothpaste from the middle! (= I want you to change your habits.)

I'd rather and it's time...

These two expressions are also followed by an unreal past. The verb is in the past tense, but the situation is in the present.

When we want to talk about a course of action we would prefer someone else to take, we use I'd rather + past tense:

• I'd rather you went
• He'd rather you called the police
• I'd rather you didn't hunt elephants.

NOTE: the stress can be important in these sentences, to show what our preference is:

• I'd rather you went = not me,
• I'd rather you went = don't stay
• He'd rather you called the police = he doesn't want to
• He'd rather you called the police = not the ambulance service

Similarly, when we want to say that now is a suitable moment to do something, either for ourselves or for someone else, we use it's time + past tense:

• It's (high) time I went.
• It's time you paid that bill.
• Don't you think it's time you had a haircut?

MIXED CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times, and the resulting sentence is a "mixed conditional" sentence. There are two types of mixed conditional sentence:

A. Present result of past condition:

1. Form

The tense in the 'if' clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional:

IF' CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
If + past perfectIf I had worked harder at school If we had looked at the map	Present conditionalI would have a better job now. we wouldn't be lost.

2. Function

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. They express a situation which is contrary to reality both in the past and in the present:

• If I had worked harder at school is contrary to past fact - I didn't work hard at school,
• I would have a better job nowis contrary to present fact - I haven't got a good job.
• If we had looked at the map (we didn't), we wouldn't be lost (we are lost).

Examples

• I would be a millionaire now if I had taken that job.
• If you'd caught that plane you'd be dead now.
• If you hadn't spent all your money on CDs, you wouldn't be broke.

B. Past result of present or continuing condition.

1. Form

The tense in the If-clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional:

IF' CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
If + simple pastIf I wasn't afraid of spiders If we didn't trust him	Perfect conditionalI would have picked it up. we would have sacked him months ago.

2. Function

In these sentences the time in the If-clause is now or always, and the time in the main clause is before now. They refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) past result:

• 'If I wasn't afraid of spiders' is contrary to present reality - I am afraid of spiders, and 'I would have picked it up' is contrary to past reality - I didn't pick it up. 
• 'If we didn't trust him' is contrary to present reality - we do trust him, and 'we would have sacked him' is contrary to past reality - we haven't sacked him.

Examples

a. If she wasn't afraid of flying she wouldn't have travelled by boat.
b. I'd have been able to translate the letter if my Italian was better.
c. If I was a good cook, I'd have invited them to lunch.
d. If the elephant wasn't in love with the mouse, she'd have trodden on him by now.

UNLESS

Unless means the same as if...not. Like if, it is followed by a present tense, a past tense or a past perfect (never by 'would'). It is used instead of if + not in conditional sentences of all types:

Type 1: (Unless + present)

You'll be sick unless you stop eating. (= You will be sick if you don't stop eating) I won't pay unless you provide the goods immediately. (= If you don't provide them I won't pay) You'll never understand English unless you study this grammar carefully. (= You'll never understand if you don't study...)

Type 2: (Unless + past)

Unless he was very ill, he would be at work. I wouldn't eat that food unless I was really hungry. She would be here by now unless she was stuck in the traffic.

Type 3: (Unless + past perfect)

Our marketing director would not have signed the contract unless she'd had the company legal expert present. I wouldn't have phoned him unless you'd suggested it. They would have shot her unless she'd given them the money.

TYPE 3 CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

1. Form

In a Type 3 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional:

IF' CLAUSE	MAIN CLAUSE
If + past perfectIf it had rained If you had worked harder	Perfect conditionalyou would have got wet you would have passed the exam.

Perfect conditional - form

The perfect conditional of any verb is composed of two elements: would + the perfect infinitive of the main verb (=have + past participle):

Subject	would	perfect infinitive
He They	would would	have gone... have stayed...
Affirmative
I	would	have believed ...
Negative
She	wouldn't	have given...
Interrogative
Would	you	have left...?
Interrogative negative
Wouldn't	he	have been...?

Example: to go, Past conditional

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I would have gone	I wouldn't have gone	Would I have gone?
You would have gone	You wouldn't have gone	Would you have gone?
He would have gone	She wouldn't have gone	Would it have gone?
We would have gone	We wouldn't have gone	Would we have gone?
You would have gone	You wouldn't have gone	Would you have gone?
They would have gone	They wouldn't have gone	Would they have gone?

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.

Type 3 conditional sentences, are truly hypothetical or unreal, because it is now too late for the condition or its result to exist. There is always an unspoken "but..." phrase:

• If I had worked harder I would have passed the exam
  (but I didn't work hard, and I didn't pass the exam).
• If I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake
  (but I didn't know, and I haven't baked a cake).

NOTE: Both would and had can be contracted to 'd, ++which can be confusing. Remember that you NEVER use would in the IF-clause, so in the example above, "If I'd known" must be"If I had known", and "I'd have baked" must be "I would have baked.."

Examples

a. If I'd known you were in hospital, I would have visited you.
b. I would have bought you a present if I'd known it was your birthday.
c. If they'd had a better goalkeeper they wouldn't have lost the game.
d. If you had told me you were on the Internet, I'd have sent you an e-mail.
e. Would you have bought an elephant if you'd known how much they eat?

PERFECT CONDITIONAL, CONTINUOUS

1. Perfect conditional, continuous - Form

This tense is composed of two elements: the perfect condtional of the verb 'to be' (would have been) + the present participle (base+ing).

Subject	would have been	base+ing
I We	would have been would have been	sitting swimming
Affirmative
I	would have been	studying.
Negative
You	wouldn't have been	living.
Interrogative
Would	we have been	travelling?
Interrogative negative
Wouldn't	it have been	working?

Examples to work, Past continuous conditional

Affirmative	Negative
I would have been working	I wouldn't have been working
You would have been working	You wouldn't have been working.
He would have been working	She wouldn't have been working
We would have been working	We wouldn't have been working
You would have been working	You wouldn't have been working
They would have been working	They wouldn't have been working
Interrogative	Interrogative negative
Would I have been working?	Wouldn't I have been working?
Would you have been working?	Wouldn't you have been working?
Would he have been working?	Wouldn't she have been working?
Would we have been working?	Wouldn't we have been working?
Would you have been working?	Wouldn't you have been working?
Would they have been working?	Wouldn't they have been working?

2. Function

This tense can be used in Type 3 conditional sentences. It refers to the unfulfilled result of the action in the if-clause, and expresses this result as an unfinished or continuous action. Again, there is always an unspoken "but.." phrase:

Examples

• If the weather had been better (but it wasn't), I'd have been sitting in the garden when he arrived (but I wasn't and so I didn't see him).
• If she hadn't got a job in London (but she did), she would have been working in Paris (but she wasn't).

• If I'd had a ball I would have been playing football.
• If I'd had any money I'd have been drinking with my friends in the pub that night.
• If I had known it was dangerous I wouldn't have been climbing that cliff.
• She wouldn't have been wearing a seat-belt if her father hadn't told her to.