'IF' SENTENCES AND THE 'UNREAL' PAST

In this section you will find information on sentences containing the word 'if', the use of
conditional tenses, and the 'unreal past', that is, when we use a past tense but we are not
actually referring to past time.

IF AND THE CONDITIONAL

There are four main types of 'if' sentences in English:

1. The 'zero' conditional, where the tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present:

'IF' CLAUSE                                                   MAIN CLAUSE

If + Simple Present                                          Simple Present

If you heat ice                                                  it melts.

If it rains                                                          you get wet.

In these sentences, the time is now or always and the situation is real and possible. They are
often used to refer to general truths.

2. The Type 1 conditional, where the tense in the 'if clause is the simple present, and the tense
in the main clause is the simple future

'IF' CLAUSE                                                   MAIN CLAUSE

If + Simple Present                                          Simple Future

If it rains                                                          you will get wet

If you don't hurry                                             we will miss the train.

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.

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:

'IF' CLAUSE                                                   MAIN CLAUSE

If + Simple Past                                               Present Conditional

If it rained                                                        you would get wet

If you went to bed earlier                                  you wouldn't be so tired.

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.

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:

'IF' CLAUSE                                                   MAIN CLAUSE

If + Past Perfect                                              Perfect Conditional

If it had rained                                                 you would have got wet

If you had worked harder                                 you would have passed the exam.

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.

A further type if '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:

'IF' CLAUSE                                                   MAIN CLAUSE

If + Past Perfect                                              Present Conditional

If I had worked harder at school                       I would have a better job now.

If we had looked at the map                              we wouldn't be lost.

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.