Subordinate clauses type 0 1. Conditional clauses - what are they? Negation in the main part

Conditional sentences are complex sentences that have two parts: a condition and a result. There are 4 types of conditional sentences in English language: zero (Zero Conditional), first (First Conditional), second (Second Conditional) and third (Third Conditional). All types use different tenses.

Conditionals (type 0) used to express generally accepted or scientific facts. In this type of conditional sentence, you can use when instead of if.

Type 1 conditional sentences

Conditionals (type 1) used to express real situation in present And future time.

Conditional sentences of type 2

Conditionals (type 2) are used to express an imaginary and unlikely situation in the present and future tense. In a subordinate clause with if in the 1st and 3rd person singular(I, he, she, it) verb used were.

Conditional sentences type 3

Conditionals (type 3) are used to express an unreal situation in the past (the situation could have happened under certain conditions in the past, but did not happen, and is therefore considered unreal).

Conditional clauses are usually introduced using if, unless (= if not), providing, provided (that), as long as until then), on condition (that), but for + -ing form/noun (if not), otherwise (otherwise), or else (otherwise), what if (what if), supposing (what if), even if (even if), only if (if only).

Unless she starts studying harder, she is going to fail her exams. If she Not If she starts studying more diligently, she will fail her exams.

Get up now or else you will miss your flight. Get up or you won't catch your flight.

Put your jacket on, otherwise you will get cold. Put on your jacket or you'll catch a cold.

They will leave on Friday supposing the weather is fine. If the weather will be fine, they are leaving on Friday.

Note

If a sentence begins only with Only if, the subject and predicate of the main sentence change places: Only if she is dressed formally, will she be allowed in. Only if she is dressed formally will she be allowed through.
If the offer is if stands before the main clause, the two parts of the sentence are separated by a comma: If you are feeling tired, you must rest. If you feel tired, you should rest. BUT: You must rest if you are feeling tired.
In sentences with if will, would or should not used: If he stay up late, he can get into trouble. If he goes to bed late, he will be in trouble. BUT: in sentences with if will, would or should are used when it comes to a request, as well as to express irritation, doubt, uncertainty, persistence.
If she should need help, ask her to call me. I doubt she'll need help, but tell her to call me. If you will stop arguing, we will find a solution. Please stop arguing and we will find a solution.
If can be omitted if should (cond. 1), were (cond. 2) and had (cond. 3) stand before the subject.

If he should pass the exam, he will apply to university. — Should he pass the exam, he will apply to university. If he passes the exams, he will go to university.
If there were an election tomorrow, who would you vote for? — Were there an election tomorrow, who would you vote for? If there are elections tomorrow, who will you vote for?
If I had known, I would have told you. — Had I known, I would have told you. If I knew, I would tell you.

Expression of desire (Wishes)

The I wish/If only constructions are used to express desire and regret. Equivalent phrases in Russian - it would be nice, if only, if only.

Verb form	Examples	Use
I wish/if only+ Past Simple/Past Continuous	I wish I was not working right now (but I am). I wish I wasn’t working now (but I am working). If only I were going to the concert tonight (but I am not). It would be nice to go to a concert today (but I won’t go).	to express a desire to change the current situation
I wish/if only+Past Perfect	I wish I had studied harder (but I didn't). If only I had studied more diligently (but I didn’t study diligently). If only I had not been so foolish (but I was). If only I weren't such a fool.	to express regret about something that happened or did not happen in the past
I wish/if only+subject(subject) +would+bare infinitive(infinitive without to)	I wish you would not be so rude to your sister. I wish you wouldn't be so rude to your sister. If only you would stop arguing. If you would stop arguing. (request)	to express imperative mood in a polite manner or a desire to change a situation or a person’s behavior

WE WISH YOU SUCCESS!

It's no secret how dependent people are on different circumstances, because we often face different conditions. And although it has long been known that history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, in everyday life we all often argue about what could have happened if... The British are also no strangers to such dreams, but, with all their scrupulousness, they made several constructions from one subjunctive mood, each of which is used in strictly defined situations. Today we will study possible conditional sentences in English, consider their structure and cases of application. The material is extensive and definitely requires solidifying the theory, so be prepared to do practical exercises.

Linguists have different approaches to the division of moods English verbs. Traditionally there are three of them: indicative, imperative and subjunctive. But some scholars distinguish the conditional mood in English as separate species, and not part of the subjunctive category. This is due to the complexity of the entire subjunctive section, especially since in one conditional category there are 4 types of regular constructions, in addition to which there are also mixed phrases, and in addition, inversion can be used in most of them. It is these types of conditional sentences in English that we will study today. But first, let’s define what a statement with a condition is.

Conditional is a type of complex construction that contains two simple bases connected by a conditional-consequence relationship. The main sentence expresses the result or consequence of events, and the subordinate clause is the very condition under which they are achieved. Communication in sentences is carried out using conjunctions if,unless, incase, aslongas, provided,onthecondition. The first of them is used much more often, so even a second name for these expressions appeared - sentences with if. Let's consider possible options structures, and we will work them out with the help of exercises.

Condition Types

As already mentioned, there are four types of regular constructions in conditional sentences. We'll talk about them in this section.

Zero Conditional

These statements use the so-called null condition type. In other words, in the subordinate clause, under the guise of a condition, practically real facts, patterns, developed by experience or known to everyone are presented. Thus, the degree of conventionality of such a phrase is practically zero.

When constructing here, the simple present tense is usually used, but constructions with the Present Continuous/Perfect and Past Simple are occasionally found. Conditions are introduced by a conjunction, and can appear in any part of the sentence, but only subordinate clauses preceding the main clause are separated by a comma. This rule applies to all types of subordinate clauses.

Ifyourunfastforalongtime, youbecometired– If you run fast for a long time, you will become tired.
Shegoesshoppingforclotheswhenshehasmoney– She goes to buy clothes when she has money.

The English language allows the use of such constructions to express instructions. In this case, the main part has an imperative form.

Ifyouwanttobeslim,don'teatbuns– If you want to be slim, don’t eat buns.

Note that this is the only type of conditional statement that cannot be inverted.

First Conditional

If the statement is about the probable execution of actions, then it is necessary to use conditional sentences of the first type in English. Often these are predictions of the occurrence of some future events, or expressions of intentions and promises to fulfill something in the near future. And here we get acquainted with an important law.

– You cannot believe in the impossible!

“You just don’t have enough experience,” the Queen remarked. “When I was your age, I devoted half an hour to this every day!” On some days, I managed to believe in a dozen impossibilities before breakfast!

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

Admit that you like to daydream from time to time. How many times have you said the phrase “If only I...” or “I wish I...”. And, for sure, at least several times in your life you have given advice to someone, saying the following words: “If I were you, I would...”

In our native language, we easily fantasize, give out valuable advice, and sometimes even lament, remembering a missed chance or, conversely, regretting what we did. Grammatical structures do not seem complicated to us at all, and we use them without even thinking about the rules. In English, for these cases there are conditional sentences of the second and third types. Finding out more about them will be both interesting and useful.

Second Conditional - conditional sentences of the second type

This type of English conditional sentence is used to describe an impossible, unreal or imaginary situation. When translating such sentences into Russian, the hypothetical connotation is conveyed using the particle “would”. Similar constructions refer to the present or future tense.

If I had a lot of money, I would travel round the world. – If I have was a lot of money I would travel Worldwide. (this describes an imaginary situation: it is unlikely that this will happen in the near future)

A conditional sentence of the second type is formed according to the following scheme:

Do not forget that it is possible to swap the main and subordinate clauses. However, you should be careful with commas. We use it only when the condition is at the beginning of an English sentence.

In conditional sentences of the second type, the past tense form of the verb to be – were– used for all persons in more formal English, was can also be used, although this option is more common in spoken English.

If today were Saturday, we could go to the beach. = If today was Saturday, we could go to the beach. - If only today was Saturday, then we would go to the beach.

Turnover If I were you Usually used with this type of conditional sentence to give advice and project the situation onto oneself. In Russian there is a construction for this: “If I were in your (her, his, yours, theirs) place.”

If I were you, I wouldn't buy that car. – If I were in your place, I wouldn't buy that car.

There are practically no rules in the English language without exceptions. We have collected all the important additions to the rule about conditional sentences of the second type in the following table. Undoubtedly, examples with translation will help you in the future to freely use these constructions in speech and writing.

Main offer	Subordinate clause	Use Cases	Example
would+ infinitive	if + Past Simple	polite request or suggestion	I would be grateful if you called me back later. – I would appreciate it if you call me back later. I would be grateful if you lent me your car for a couple of days. – I would be grateful if you would lend me your car for a couple of days.
would+ infinitive	if + Past Simple	advice	If I were you, I would apply for this vacancy. – If I were you, I would apply for this vacancy.
would+ infinitive	supposing + Past Simple	unreality of the situation (for everyday speech)	Supposing I became the Pope of Rome, what would you say? – Suppose I became Pope, what would you say?
would+ infinitive	if + Past Simple	unlikely event	I would abolish the taxes if I were the president of this country. “I would abolish taxes if I were the president of this country.”
would+ infinitive	if it were not for	the need to show that the completion of one event depends on another (translated as “but for”)	If it were not for his wife’s care, he wouldn't recover so soon. “If it weren’t for his wife’s care, he wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.”
modal verbs could, would be able to, might	if + Past Simple	ability ( ability); possibility, probability ( possibility)	If you were more serious about this project, you could (= would be able to) accomplish it in time. If you had taken your project more seriously, you would have been able to finish it on time.
would perhaps, would probably	if + Past Simple	possibility, probability ( possibility)	If you requested your new neighbors more politely, they would perhaps help you to fix the roof. “If you had addressed your new neighbors more politely, they might have helped you repair the roof.”
would+ infinitive	if + Past Continuous	we imagine the action taking place at the moment of speech	If she were going to the supermarket now, she would buy you some chocolate sweets, but she is going to work. If she were going to the supermarket now, she would buy you chocolates, but she is going to work.

In order to thoroughly understand conditional sentences of the second type, we recommend watching this video:

No grammar reference book will give you as many pleasant moments when studying this rule as an interesting and colorful cartoon in English. Conditional sentences of the second type are so often used in dialogues of cartoon characters that we are ready to prove it to you. Take a fresh look at your favorite animated stories with us.

Kung Fu Panda 3 – “Kung Fu Panda 3”

Many of us remember the cartoon about the good-natured and clumsy fat panda Po. Reunited with his father, who lost little Poe many years ago, they go to a mysterious place. It is there that our lover of martial arts and dumplings will soon meet his relatives and visit his home. This is the phrase we hear in the dialogue during their journey:

– This is the secret panda village. – This is the secret panda village.
– No wonder you keep it a secret. If I lived here, I wouldn’t tell anyone either. - No wonder you keep it a secret. If I lived here, I wouldn't tell anyone either.
(hypothetical assumption related to the future)

Big Hero 6 – City of Heroes

Fans of cartoons about inventors, child prodigies and design geniuses will certainly remember the story of two talented brothers Hiro and Tadashi Hamada. The episodes with experiments in the university laboratory are fascinating and full of humor. The moment in which the younger brother (Hiro) thanks the older brother (Tadashi) for his help and faith in his talent is perfect for the topic of our article.

I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, so thanks for not giving up on me. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, so thank you for not losing faith in me.” (the need to show that the completion of one event depends on another)

Wreck-It Ralph - "Wreck-It Ralph"

The Disney cartoon, in which a thug villain named Ralph dreams of becoming a real hero, was watched by many. Let us remind you of the episode when Ralph leaves his computer game and goes in search of adventure. In one of the games, he meets a little girl Vanellope von Cupcake. At the moment they meet, the following phrase is heard on the caramel tree:

I wouldn't grab that branch if I were you. “If I were you, I wouldn’t grab that branch.” (advice to interlocutor)

Zootopia – Zootopia

In our previous article we already discussed this funny cartoon. However, it is impossible not to remember the episode in which the cunning Nick Wilde visits the store and intends to buy the baby fox a hefty portion of ice cream. Not finding any money in his pockets, he says the following:

I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my neck. “I would have sown my head if it had not been attached to my neck.” (imaginary situation)

Inside Out – “Puzzle”

We are already familiar with the girl Riley and her emotions. Having carefully reviewed this animated creation, it is easy to see examples related to our topic today. In the episode when Joy tries to find Sadness in the labyrinths of long-term memory, we find a striking example of a conditional sentence of the second type:

Ok. If I were Sadness, where would I be? - OK. In the place of Sadness, where would I be? (description of an unreal situation relating to the present time and an attempt to project the situation onto oneself)

Third Conditional - conditional sentences of the third type

Conditional sentences of the third type describe an impossible condition, since the action or event has already taken place in the past. Typically they are used to indicate a missed opportunity. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the subjunctive mood (the past tense form with the particle “would”).

The structure of the third type of conditional sentence is as follows:

If you hadn't been late for work, the boss wouldn't have got furious. – If You I'm not late to work, boss I wouldn't be so furious. (the situation has already happened: the opportunity to show up at work on time has been missed, and the emotional state of the boss will be difficult or even impossible to change)

It is interesting to note that conditional sentences can express an unreal situation without using a conjunction if(if the predicate includes verbs were, had, could, should). Such cases are called inversion. This means that in a subordinate conditional clause, the auxiliary verb or modal verb comes before the subject. This technique gives the phrase more emotionality and persuasiveness.

Had I known about it before hand I wouldn't have made such a terrible mistake! – I wish I knew I'll talk about this in advance, then wouldn't commit such a terrible mistake!

There were some exceptions in the case of conditional sentences of the third type. Study the small table below. Our examples clearly characterize these additions to the rule.

Main offer	Subordinate clause	Use Cases	Example
could+ perfect infinitive	if + Past Perfect		I could have bought all the necessary pills if you had told me. “I could buy all the pills I need if you told me.”
might+ perfect infinitive	if + Past Perfect	although this did not happen, the result indicates the possibility of action	If we had read about your arrival, we might have met you at the airport on that day. – If we had read about your arrival, we could have met you at the airport that day.
should+ perfect infinitive	if + Past Perfect	although this did not happen, the result contains a good solution or advice	If you had known about their problem with money, you should have assisted in solving it. – If you knew about their money problem, you would have to help solve it.
would+ perfect infinitive	but for And if not for+ noun or pronoun	in situations related to the past or present	But for the garden, they would have moved years ago. “If it weren’t for the garden, they would have moved long ago.” If not for his mother, he would never have become such a prominent politician. “If it weren’t for his mother, he would never have become such an outstanding politician.”

In order to better understand information about conditional sentences of the third type, we recommend watching the following video:

It is unlikely that anyone will deny that listening to songs in English and using them to understand grammatical rules is an effective activity. It is precisely in order to clearly show you the use of the third type of conditional sentences that we have selected several songs and will analyze them with you.

Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”

A magnificent song of the disco era and the anthem of all feminists, performed by the singer Gloria Gaynor. This composition is included in the list of the 500 best songs of all time. In it we hear the following phrase:

I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second you"d be back to bother me.

I should have made you give up your key
If only I had known for a second that you would come back to bother me.
(the heroine of the song describes a missed opportunity, she did not take away ex-lover key and, unfortunately for her, the meeting took place)

Want to hear more examples with all types of conditionals? Then quickly watch the next video and perhaps you will come across your favorite song.

Now we suggest you take a short test to consolidate your knowledge about 2 types of conditional sentences, and download a table with the types of conditional sentences in the English language discussed in this article.

(*pdf, 207 Kb)

Test

How to use English conditionals correctly. Second and third types

This topic is one of the most serious in English grammar. By learning a language at the initial stage, you can do without this knowledge for some time. But the higher your level, the more you will have a desire to diversify and complicate your speech, making it closer to what native speakers speak. At this point, there will be a need to study the conditions: their meaning, varieties, methods of formation and examples of use. This article will help with that.

Where are they used?

In English, as in Russian, all sentences are divided into simple and complex. And the latter, in turn, can be complex and complex. The first type does not create great difficulties when learning grammar foreign language. But in the case of the second, there are some nuances.

Consider a typical one in English:

If (when) the weather is fine, I’ll go for a walk - If (when) the weather is fine, I’ll go for a walk.

In this case, you can easily see two components:

I'll go for a walk - main clause;
if (when) the weather is fine -subordinate clause condition clause or time clause.

What do they mean?

In the example discussed above, the main sentence expresses the thought: “What will happen?”, and the subordinate clause expresses the thought “Under what condition (or at what time, when) will this happen?”

Such sentences express an inextricable semantic and grammatical connection between the main and subordinate parts. In general, subordinate constructions can express the most different meanings: mode of action and degree, place, time, condition, cause, effect, purpose, comparison, concession. But in this article we will talk about only two types, expressing situations of time and conditions.

In speech, such constructions express logical, spatiotemporal and cause-and-effect relationships. Therefore, the advanced learner of English needs to understand when to use clauses and clauses.

Used conjunctions

It is characteristic that in complex sentences the main part is invariably one, but there can be several subordinate clauses. All of them are directly dependent (logical and grammatical) on the main component and are attached to it with the help of various conjunctions and allied expressions. Here are the most common ones:

if - if;
in case - in case;
when - when;
while - while, while;
as soon as (as long as) - as soon as;
until - not yet, until;
after - after;
before - before;
unless (if not) - if not.

Please note that the conjunction used does not always help determine A. This is often necessary to apply a grammatical rule discussed later in the article. To accurately confirm that this is a sentence with a subordinate clause or time, you need to ask a question to the subordinate part.

Remember also that a sentence can begin with either a main clause or a subordinate clause. Is it difficult not to get confused? Just pay attention to which part of the sentence the conjunction is in (one or another from the list presented above).

What is a subordinate tense?

This type includes a part that is subordinate to the main one, while answering the questions: “When?”, “How long?”, “How long ago?”, “Since when?”, “Until when?” and so on.

To attach subordinate clauses to the main part, conjunctions are used: when, after, before, until and others with a similar meaning. However, in order to make sure that it is the meaning of time that is being expressed, and not some other, it is most reliable to ask a question.

What is a subordinate clause?

Such grammatical constructions answer the question: “Under what conditions?” They are quite varied and are joined by conjunctions if, in case, unless, etc. But it does not always guarantee that the meaning of the condition is realized in the sentence. Because in many cases, the phrase, for example, with if, is translated not “if”, but “whether”. Compare:

I’ll come if they invite me - I’ll come if they invite me.
I don’t know if they will invite me - I don’t know if they will invite me.

Subordinate clauses in English are found in sentences that take place in the past, present or future tense. In addition, the conditions put forward themselves have a gradation: real, unlikely and unrealistic. This is best understood through examples.

Type I

The subordinate conditions belonging to the first type describe real fact. That is, what actually took place in the past, present or future. In this case, the tense forms of the predicate verb in the main and subordinate parts usually coincide.

This can be clearly seen in the examples.

Past tense:

If the weather was fine, he went for a walk - If the weather was good, he went for a walk.

Present tense:

If the weather is fine, he goes for a walk - If the weather is fine, he goes (goes) for a walk.

Future tense:

If the weather is fine, he will go for a walk - If the weather is fine, he will go for a walk.

Only in the last example can one notice that the two parts of the complex sentence do not agree in time (the subordinate clause is in the form of the present, and the main one is in the form of the future). This did not happen by chance, but as a result of a special grammatical rule to which subordinate clauses and conditions are subject. The details will be explained below.

For now, let's look at the manifestations of the second and third types of subordinate conditions. They no longer open in three grammatical tenses, but take on the meaning “if, then...”. Moreover, such a hypothetical situation may relate to both the present day and the past.

Type II

When the speaker believes that the reality of fulfilling the condition is quite small, then a separate speech construction is used. Drawing an analogy with the Russian language, this is the subjunctive mood (“if only ...”). Example:

If the weather was fine, I would go for a walk - If the weather was good, I would go (went) for a walk.

Please note that the situation described is happening at the time the person is talking about it. This is not regret about yesterday.

To construct a grammatically correct statement of this type, you need:

in the subordinate clause, put the predicate verb in the Past Simple form;
in the main part use would + (but without the particle to).

III type

If compliance with this condition (and the performance of an action) is considered by the speaker as completely impossible, a subordinate condition of another type comes into play. The impossibility of realizing such a situation is due to the fact that the action has already taken place in the past, and the speaker is not able to change its result. And therefore, a compound with a subordinate condition of this type usually expresses regret and lamentation about the current circumstances.

If the weather had been fine yesterday, we wouldn’t have stayed home. In that case we would have gone for a walk - If the weather had been good yesterday, we would not have stayed at home. In that case, we would go for a walk.

But there may be another, opposite in meaning, situation. The person thinks about what could have happened, but does not feel regret about it. For example:

If I had overslept, I would have been late - If I had overslept, I would have been late.

Please note that the entire sentence refers to and expresses the impossibility of performing a certain action precisely then, in the past.

The following grammatical structure is formed:

in the subordinate clause, the predicate verb is put in the Past Perfect form;
in the main part would + Perfect Infinitive is used.

What tense is used in subordinate clauses?

This question is very serious. A little earlier in the article it was mentioned that it is important to determine the type of subordinate clause. And in this matter, it is necessary to focus not on alliances, but on the questions asked.

The fact is that there is a certain grammatical rule. It is related to the type of clause and the use of present/future tense in it.

If subordinate clauses answer the questions: “Under what condition will the action be performed?” or “At what time (when) will this happen?”, then they express, respectively, a condition or a time. In these types of clauses you cannot use the future tense (with the verb will). The present is used instead. Even when the situation clearly relates to the future and it is at this time that it is translated into Russian.

Compare:

She’ll make a cake when you come.
If I get this job, I will be happy.

As is easy to see, in the latter case the example given refers to a variety - subordinate condition of type I. This rule does not apply to the other two types of conditional clauses, since they contain completely different constructions for expressing grammatical meaning.

In many situations, complex sentences allow you to better express the thoughts of the speaker. Subordinate units join with the help of special unions. The main varieties are subordinate tenses and subordinate conditions.

The English language has certain grammatical rules regarding the use of such structures. In order to reliably learn them, you need to thoroughly understand the theory once, and then perform as many exercises as possible so that an example of correct use is fixed in memory. Subsequently, when the need arises, it will automatically appear in speech.

If ... Past Perfect ..., ... would have + past participle...
or
… would have + past participle... if ... Past Perfect ...

Use

Conditional sentences of the third type in English describe events in the past that could have happened, but did not happen. Please note that these sentences are translated into Russian in the subjunctive mood, with the particle “would”.

For example:
If you had invited them, they would have come.
If You invited them, they would come. (But you didn't invite them, and that's why they didn't come.)

If you had worked harder, you would have passed the exam.
If you more was studying, You I would have passed exam. ( But you didn't study, and therefore didn't pass the exam.)

If I had won that award, my life would have changed.
If I won this award, my life would change.

If she had studied science, she would have found a better job.
If she studied science, she I would have found it better job.

Other forms of conditional sentences of the third type

Using modal verbs in a result clause

Instead of would have verbs can be used could have, might have, should have, and etc.

For example:
If he had known, he could have helped you.
If He knew, He I could you help.

You might have finished the assignment on time, if you had planned more carefully.
You, Maybe, would do task on time, if You planned more and more carefully.

If you hadn't been prepared, you should have told the professor
If You not prepared, then you should have said about this to the professor.

Using but for

Instead of if not expression can be used but for followed by a noun. This expression is usually used in formal speech.

For example:
But for our savings, we wouldn't have been able to make the payments.
If not our savings, we would not be able to make payments.