Unreal conditional sentence

Present or future tense for unreal condition structure

(If + subject + simple past tense +………(would, could, might) + verb in simple form )

For example:

• If I had the time, I would go to the beach with you this weekend. 

            (I don’t have the time.) (I ‘m not going to the beach with you.)

• He would tell you about it if he were here.

          (He won’t tell you about it.) (He’s not here. )

• If he didn’t speak so quickly, you could understand him.

          (He speaks very quickly.) (You can’t understand him. )

Past tense for unreal conditional  structure

       If + subject + past perfect + (would could might)  + have + (verb in past participle )

For example:

• If we had known that you were there, we would have written you a letter.

         (We didn’t know that you were there.) (We didn’t write you a letter.)

• She would have sold the house if she had found the right buyer.

           (She didn’t sell the house. ) (She didn’t find the right buyer. )

• If we hadn’t lost our way, we would have arrived sooner.

           (We lost our way.) (We didn’t arrive early.)

Note: It is also possible to indicate a past unreal condition without using the word if. In this case, the auxiliary had is placed before, rather that after, the subject. This clause will usually come first in the sentence.

                          Had + subject + (verb in past participle )…………

• Had we known that you were there, we would have written you a letter. 
• Had she found the right buyer, she would have sold the house.

The above rules indicate the most common methods of using tenses in conditional sentences. However, if the two actions clearly happened at quite different times, the verbs should show that difference.

• Less common: If she had seen (past) the move, she would tell(future) you. 
• More common: If she had seen(past) the movie, she would have told(past) you.

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