verbs in time clauses and if clauses
Verbs in time clauses and conditionals follow the same patterns as in other clauses except:
- In clauses with time words like when, after, until we often use the present tense forms to talk about the future:
I’ll come home when I finish work.
You must wait here until your father comes.
They are coming after they have had dinner.
- in conditional clauses with if or unless we often use the present tense forms to talk about the future:
We won’t be able to go out if it is raining.
If Barcelona win tomorrow they will be champions.
I will come tomorrow unless I have to look after the children.
- We do not normally use will in clauses with if or with time words:
I’ll come home when I will finish work.
We won’t be able to go out if it will rain. rains.
It will be nice to see Peter when he will get home gets home.
You must wait here until you father will come comes.
- but we can use will if it means a promise or offer:
I will be very happy if you will come to my party.
We should finish the job early if George will help us.
"if" clauses and hypotheses
Some clauses with if are like hypotheses so we use past tense forms to talk about the present and future.
We use the past tense forms to talk about the present in clauses with if :
- for something that has not happened or is not happening:
| He could get a new job if he really tried | = | He cannot get a job because he has not tried. |
| If Jack was playing they would probably win | = | Jack is not playing so they will probably not win. |
| If I had his address I could write to him | = | I do not have his address so I cannot write to him. |
We use the past tense forms to talk about the future in clauses with if:
- for something that we believe or know will not happen:
| We would go by train if it wasn’t so expensive | = | We won’t go by train because it is too expensive. |
| I would look after the children for you at the weekend if I was at home | = | I can’t look after the children because I will not be at home. |
- to make suggestions about what might happen:
If he came tomorrow we could borrow his car.
If we invited John, Mary would bring Angela.
When we are talking about something which did not happen in the past we use the past perfect in the if clause and a modal verb in the main clause:
| If you had seen him you could have spoken to him | = | You did not see him so you could not speak to him |
| You could have stayed with us if you had come to London | = | You couldn’t stay with us because you didn’t come to London. |
| If we hadn’t spent all our money we could take a holiday. | = | We have spent all our money so we can’t take a holiday |
| If I had got the job we would be living in Paris | = | I did not get the job so we are not living in Paris. |
If the main clause is about the past we use a modal with have:
| If you had seen him you could have spoken to him. | = | You did not see him so you could not speak to him. |
| You could have stayed with us if you had come to London. | = | You couldn’t stay with us because you didn’t come to London. |
| If you had invited me I might have come. | = | You didn’t invite me so I didn’t come. |
If the main clause is about the present we use a present tense form or a modal without have:
| If I had got the job we would be living in Paris now. | = | I did not get the job so we are not living in Paris now. |
| If you had done your homework you would know the answer. | = | You did not do your homework so you do not know the answer. |
English Grammar
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- question forms
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- present tense
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- perfective aspect
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- to + infinitive
- -ing forms
- talking about the present
- talking about the past
- talking about the future
- verbs in time clauses and if clauses
- wishes and hypotheses
- the verb be
- link verbs
- delexical verbs like have, take, make and give
- Modal verbs
- double object verbs
- phrasal verbs
- reflexive and ergative verbs
- verbs followed by to + infinitive
- verbs followed by -ing clauses
- verbs followed by that clause
- Clause, phrase and sentence
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hello, please when we can use <use to> and <used to> thank you :)
team
Hello taffou12!
You can find out about used to and used to on our page about past habits. We use used to in positive statements, and use to for questions or negatives.
Hope that helps!
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
What does it mean by "imperative/negative imperative", I've been searching through the searching box but i could not find the answer. Could you (The Learn English Team) help me please... thanks,,, :)
team
Hello zahra-abdul!
Remember, we also have a dictionary! If you type imperative, it will give you the following definition:
the form of a verb which is usually used for giving orders
You use the base verb without a subject. For example, a teacher at the end of a test will say:
Put down your pencils and stop writing.
These are both imperatives.
For the negative, you add don't, as when a mother tells one of her children:
Don't hit your brother!
If you enter just 'imperative' into the search box, you'll see several pages giving examples of how to use imperatives - like this episode of Word on the Street, about giving directions with imperatives.
Hope that helps!
Regards
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi teachers,
I have a question about reported speech in the past, and the use of "would have"
For example:
The doctor told me: if you don't want to get worse, stay at home.
How can I turn it in a reported speech?
Can you tell me where I can find the grammar rules?
thank you so much,
Stefania (from Italy)
team
Hello stesitula!
In answer to your question, you don't need 'would have', but you do need to change the 'stay' (which is imperative) to advice or obligation:
The doctor told me if I didn't want to get worse, I should/had to stay at home.
Remember you can always use the search box on the right of the page to find particular topics. For example, if you type reported speech into the box, you get this page of results. You'll see we have lots of material on reported speech - take a look!
Regards
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
would you explain about this kind of if-clause?
if i had to start again I’d choose to do a journalism option.
when can we use had to in if clause ?
can we use "have to" and "has to"?
team
Hello sarah.mk!
This is an example of the second conditional. The speaker doesn't think he or she will have to start again, so it is a situation which is not happening. He or she is just imagining it. For this meaning, we use If +past tense, I would + present tense.
Changing to have to (present tense) is OK, but it changes the meaning, and you have to change the would part, too.
If I have to start again, I will choose to do a journalism option.
Now, the sentence means the speaker thinks there is a real chance he or she will have to start again. It is a statement about a future possibility.
Basically, you can use most verbs in an if clause, including have to. Use the past form and would if you are imagining a situation, and present form and will if you want to talk about something that might happen in the future.
Hope that helps!
Jeremy Bee
The LearnEnglish Team
If Jack was playing they would probably win - since it is supposed, should not it be were instead of was as given below?
If Jack were playing they would probably win.
Some one pls help.
"If he were you, then he would probably win." - is the above sentence not same as this one?
Hello Adam,
Thank you very much for the explanation on conditional but I would like to add that it would also have been better if you introduced briefly the formal definition of all levels of conditional because having seen the brief formal definition one could be prepared to understand the concept and other forms of a particular level of conditional. I had not been able to understand the topic "verbs in time clauses and if clauses" but when I had seen the formal definition in another website, only then everything had been cleared and I really enjoyed the various forms of conditional you presented here.
All the best.
P.S If you find flaws on my usage of conditional in this message then one thing is also clear. I need to know more.