The Unreal Conditional
Present Unreal Conditional
The present unreal conditional is used to express a present (or future) condition. We call it unreal because it tells us what would happen or how things would be if the situation were different:
I don't have a car. I don't visit you often.
If I had a car, I would visit you often.
The present unreal conditional is made up of an if-clause (if I had...) plus a main clause with would (I would visit).
You work so hard. You're tired all the time.
If you didn't work so hard, you wouldn't be tired all the time.
Fur coats are so expensive. I don't have one.
If they weren't so expensive, I would have one.
The form of the verb in the if-clause is the same as the past tense form of the verb. There is one exception, though: the verb be takes were for all persons:
I am / if I were
You are / if you were
He is / if he were.
If I were you, I would be more careful.
If you were leaving earlier, I would go with you.
What time would we get there if we took the subway?
Past Unreal Conditional
The past unreal conditional consists of two clauses, an if clause and a would clause.
The if-clause refers to an unreal past event or condition:
If I had arrived on time... (I didn't)
If it hadn't rained yesterday... (it did)
The would clause describes the consequence:
...I wouldn't have missed the train.
...we would have gone to the beach.
It wasn't warm yesterday. We didn't go to the beach.
If it had been warm yesterday, we would have gone to the beach.
An unreal past condition may have a consequence in either the present or the past.
If you had listened to my advice, you wouldn't be in trouble now. (now)
If it had rained an hour ago, we would have stayed inside.
If it had rained an hour ago, the streets would be wet. (now)
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