Verbs in time clauses and 'if' clauses

Level: beginner

Verbs in time clauses and conditionals usually follow the same patterns as in other clauses but there are some differences when we:

talk about the future
make hypotheses.

Talking about the future

In time clauses with words like when, after and until, we often use 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 words like if, unless, even if, we often use present tense forms to talk about the future:

We won't be able to go out if it is raining.
I will come tomorrow unless I have to look after the children.
Even if Barcelona lose tomorrow, they will still be champions.

We do not normally use will in time clauses and conditional clauses:

I'll come home when I finish work. (NOT ~~will finish work~~)
We won't be able to go out if it rains. (NOT ~~will rain~~)
It will be nice to see Peter when he gets home. (NOT ~~will get home~~)
You must wait here until your father comes. (NOT ~~will come~~)

but we can use will if it means want to or be willing to:

I will be very happy if you will come to my party.
We should finish the job early if George will help us.

Future time and conditional clauses 1: MultipleChoice_MTY0Njc=
Future time and conditional clauses 2: GapFillTyping_MTY0Njg=

Level: intermediate

Making hypotheses

Some conditional clauses are like hypotheses, so we use past tense forms.

We use past tense forms to talk about something that does not happen or is not happening in the present:

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 past tense forms to talk about something that we believe or know will not happen in the future:

We would go by train if it wasn't so expensive.
(= We will not 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 cannot look after the children because I will not be at home.)

We use past tense forms to make suggestions about what might happen in the future:

If he came tomorrow, we could borrow his car.
If we invited John, Mary would bring Angela.

After I/he/she/it, we can use were instead of was:

If Jack was/were playing, they would probably win.
We would go by train if it wasn't/weren’t so expensive.
I would look after the children for you at the weekend if I was/were at home.

We use the past perfect to talk about something which did not happen in the past:

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 could not stay with us because you did not come to London.)
If we hadn't spent all our money, we could take a holiday.
(= We have spent all our money so we cannot 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 of a hypothetical conditional is about the present or future, we use a modal:

If I had got the job, we might 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.)

If the main clause is about the past, we use a modal with have:

If I had seen him, I would have spoken to him.
(= I did not see him so I did not speak to him.)
You could have stayed with us if you had come to London.
(= You could not stay with us because you did not come to London.)
If you had invited me, I might have come.
(= You did not invite me so I did not come.)

Hypothetical conditionals: present/future 1: Matching_MTY0Njk=
Hypothetical conditionals: present/future 2: GapFillTyping_MTY0NzA=
Hypothetical conditionals: past 1: Matching_MTY0NzE=
Hypothetical conditionals: past 2: GapFillTyping_MTY0NzI=

Average

Hallo sir, Can I use 'if' for replacement of 'when' or 'as' ~ if he didn't work yesterday, he was probably ill. ~ as he didnt work yesterday, he was probably ill. Are those sentences the same? If so, is there any reference for the grammar? Thank you, sir

Hello Risa warysha,

All of the words (if, when and as) are possible in this example, but the meaning changes.

If tells us that you are not sure whether or not the man was working yesterday.

When tells us that you know he was not working, but are not sure whether or not he was ill.

As tells us that you are drawing a conclusion (that he was ill) from the fact that he was not working yesterday.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello team, I've several questions. e.g, I would not have asked her to come into work if I she was so ill. From the previous sentence, I think the main clause is talking about the present, why 'have' is used? e.g, We would have a lot more money nowadays if our flat hadn't been so expensive. I think the main clause is also related to present, why 'have' is used? Can I rewrite the sentences to: e.g, We would get a lot of money nowadays if our flat hadn't been so expensive. OR e.g, We might get a lot of money nowadays if our flat hadn't been so expensive. Thanks a lot.

I find this sentence odd: You could have stayed with us if you had come to London. Why it's not: You could have stayed with us if you had came to London. And can I say: You could have stayed with us had came to London.

Hi gsg238,

The first sentence is actually the correct one :)

In the second sentence, we can't say if you had came because after had, it must be the past participle form of the verb (come = past participle; came = past simple). This is a past perfect structure (see this page for more examples and explanation).

In the third sentence, the subject (you) is needed. It can't be omitted from the if-clause. We also need to add if.

Alternatively, we can use this more formal form without if and with an inversion: You could have stayed with us had you come to London.

Does that make sense?

Best wishes,

Jonathan

The tip is really enormous and useful. Thanks.

Hi, You mentioned that "Verbs in time clauses and conditionals usually follow the same patterns as in other clauses but there are some differences when we talk about the future or when we make hypotheses." By this, and with respect to time clauses, are you simply saying that when using time clauses to refer to the past, simply use simple past tense (as logically you would expect - for example "We had dinner before we watched the movie") and similarly use simple present tense in a time clause when you are referring to the present. In other words, we only need to ensure that time clauses referring to future time are in the simple present tense? Regards, Tim

Hello Tim,

Yes, that's right. When speaking about the past you could also use the past perfect or the past continuous, and when speaking about the present, the present continuous is also possible, but in these cases they are used in the normal way -- that is, not like the use of the present simple to speak about the future, for example.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi everyone, I find this article rather confusing at some point. For example, when explaining how to use past tense to talk about something that didn't happen in the past, they made an example as "If I had got the job, we would be living in Paris." In the following part they made a similar sentence to explain how to structure a hypothetical conditional that is about the present or future as "If I had got the job, we might be living in Paris now." Could anyone tell me how different are these two sentences regarding the time reference? To me, they could both refer something that happens in the present. Am I right?

Hello Harry de ZHANG,

Both sentences do refer to a hypothetical present time. The difference between the two sentences lies in the modal verb. 'would be living' states that in that hypothetical situation (in which I got the job -- in reality I did not get the job), we are definitely now living in Paris. 'might be living in Paris now' states that in that hypothetical situation, perhaps we are living in Paris and perhaps we are not.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi Kirk, Now I understand the nuance between the two sentences. Thank you so much for the explanation! You are a big help! Apart from this question, I think there might be a mistake in this article. If you would look at the first part that talks about the future, you might find an example sentence as written as "You must wait here until you father comes." I think it should be "your father" instead of "you father." But I could be wrong.

Hello Harry de ZHANG,

I'm glad that helped you!

And thanks for pointing out that error to us -- you are right and I have fixed the error.

Best wishes,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hey dear For example I have not had much idea about someone else. But I can tell some possiblities about that person. For example I have to tell about Jon to his girlfriend. I can only predict Jon's behaviour, but do not know the exact truth whether that condition really happened or not in the past. For example My prediction is: If Jon had beaten his boss (in the past) the surely he will beat his boss(in the future) But If Jon had not beaten his boss, then he will not beat him in the furture. So this is my prediction about Jon's behaviour because I know him very well. So I can only tell possibilities to his girlfriend about Jon's behaviour. Exactly both I and his girfriend don't know about Jon's mishap with his boss. We are just predicting. Please help me sir about this situation.Reagrds

Hi Aabida, Yes, that makes sense. But in the 'if' clause, it should be 'If Jon has beaten ...', using present perfect (not past perfect). The past perfect ('had beaten') is for a past event that took place earlier than another defined past time, but there isn't one here. See our Past perfect page for more details: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-intermediate/past-perfect You could also write this as a single sentence, as with your other question: - Whether Jon will beat his boss (in future) depends on whether he has beaten him (in the past). If you want to show clearly that you're speculating, you could add a phrase like 'I guess' or 'probably'. Does that make sense? Jonathan The LearnEnglish Team

Hello dear, Please clear my doubt if this is conditional or not. For example If I say that if I had kept my promise (if I am telling about conditions in the past) I will never break it ( in the future). But If I had not kept it in the past then there might be chances to break it in future. So it mainly depends upon the conditions happened in the past. My query is : are these sentences can be joined in a single sentence by using conditional? If conditional then how to write it? Please help me. Thanks in advance.

Hi Aabida, It's possible to join these two sentences using a single sentence if you reword them. - Whether I keep my promise in the future depends on whether I've kept it until now / in the past. Does that express your meaning? It also works as two sentences. I might say something like this: - If I've kept my promise (until now), I'll never break it. - If I've broken my promise, I might break it again (in future). You could use 'but' to join these as one sentence. Jonathan The LearnEnglish Team

Last doubt: Is this clause possible: "Maybe I can help you if you tell me what is wrong."? If so, isn't the version bellow in the past tense? "Maybe I could help you if you told me what was wrong." The last is placed in the exercise about the present/future.

Hello again Elo,

The sentence is not about the past. We use the past form to describe a hypothetical present or future which we see as impossible or unlikely. In your sentence, the speaker thinks it unlikely that the other person will tell them what is wrong and so uses a past form (told) to express this.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Now I got it. I have just read the next lesson about "Hypothesis" and this topic is explored there. Thanks again!

I'm in doubt about a clause in the exercise Hypothetical conditionals: present/future 1. It says "if it was A JUST little bit cheaper." Should it not say: "if it was JUST A little bit cheaper."?

Hello Elo,

You are quite right - well spotted! We've corrected this mistake in the exercise.

Thanks again,

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello! In the clause: "If Jack was playing, they would probably win." Could it be written: "If Jack was playing, they would probably have won."? Thank you!

Hello Elo,

The second sentence is not possible because it puts the result (would have won) before the cause (was playing). You would need to say If Jack had played... for the sentence to be logically coherent.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

That makes a lot of sense! Thanks!

Your article mentions that "Verbs in time clauses and conditionals usually follow the same patterns as in other clauses but there are some differences when we talk about the future/make hypotheses." Does this mean that, apart from talking about the future/making hypotheses, if for example we are talking about the past, we simply follow the same usual grammatical rules as we do when creating regular simple past sentences, for example "He came home after he finished work." ?

Hello magnuslin,

Yes, that's the idea.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Why is "would" used instead of "will" in these following sentences? 1) ...some government officials and financial investors are beginning to worry that the Chinese currency may also be devalued. If that happens, it would likely start a new round of further devaluations in Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries that compete with China. 2) He told the Sunday Herald that if the court decides not to sit on Fridays, he would support the decision. 3) That new customer may spend thousands of dollars with your company over the next several years. If that happens, it would really be worth the investment, wouldn't it? 4) ''Are they really going to shut us down in the middle of the winter?'' he said. ''If they do, it would be a total social disaster.'' 5) Sony is so far behind in the market that it has been forced to strike a joint venture with Samsung under which the South Korean company - and rival - would provide it with a steady stream of LCD panels for TVs that should make it competitive with market leaders.

Hi Dukul I bet "would" in those sentences would be making a hypothesis.?!

Hi, I have come across sentences using past tense in if-clause and present tense in the main clause, such as: 1) A hamster is pregnant for only about three weeks and up to 20 babies can seemingly appear overnight in a hamster's nest if you didn't know your hamster was pregnant. 2) Hamsters will eat more when they are pregnant and nursing, but otherwise their diet will remain the same as if they weren't. Are they grammatically correct and do you classify them as "mixed conditionals"?

Hi CareBears07,

The first sentence does not read well, I think. It is mixing general statements about hamsters with a specific and particular situation, which is inconsistent. You could argue that there is an implied result clause which is omitted, however:

A hamster is pregnant for only about three weeks and up to 20 babies can seemingly appear overnight in a hamster's nest as they would/might if you didn't know your hamster was pregnant.

The second example has a hidden result clause. The full sentence would be as follows:

Hamsters will eat more when they are pregnant and nursing, but otherwise their diet will remain the same as it would be if they weren't (pregnant).

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi Peter, thanks for your prompt explanation. It seems such omissions are common in articles using American English, which at times runs in conflict with the grammar rules of British English. :(

Hi CareBears07,

I wouldn't say that there is a conflict with the grammatical rules, or rather I would say that any conflict is only superficial and disappears on closer inspection and consideration.

Language is a tool for expression and communication. Style is as much a part of that as grammar. Where omitting phrases or words causes ambiguity or a lack of clarity it may be problematic (unless the speaker desires ambiguity), but I don't think either of your examples were difficult to understand, even if the underlying grammatical struture was not immediately apparent.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Can you Please explain this taken from a TedTalk. Ideally, you would not be satisfied until you had actually done the work.

Hello Dean

This sentence is talking about a hypothetical or imaginary situation. This is clear from the use of 'Ideally' and especially from 'would not be' and 'had done'. 'had done' refers to an imagined time when the work is already done, and 'would' refers to a time after that.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Dear, could you tell me more about if +will/would clauses. For example: If Krystal will meet us at the airport, it will save a lot of time. If you would all stop laughing, I will explain the situation!

Hello Aabida,

It's unusual to use will or would in the if-clause. Generally, a present or past form is used in the if-clause and a modal verb in the main clause. However, it is possible to use a modal verb in the if-clause to give a sense of agreement or acceptance. This can be a way of making the sentence very polite, or else adding emphasis or irritation through sarcastic politeness, depending on the context:

If sir and madam will come this way, I'll show you to your seat. (a very polite waiter in a posh restaurant)

If you will stop talking, we'll be able to continue! (an irritated teacher to an unruly class)

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I asked my students to write a text about their plans for the next day. The situation is: they're staying in London and planning their activities for the next day. Obviously, this is meant to test the use of going to. But now as I'm reading my students texts I find it very clumsy to use going to in each and every sentence. Some of my students sometimes use the simple present instead which I like, but I don't know if this is correct. And they haven't learned to use the present continuous for talking about arrangements. So: my question is: Is it ok to alternate between going to and simple present to talk about your plans when the situation is clear?

Hello Renate

It could be correct to use the present simple to speak about the future, but it really depends on how specifically you do it. For example, you could say 'We have tickets to visit London Bridge at 10'. In this case, the verb refers to the present (we have the tickets right now), but clearly the sentence is about the future. Or you could say 'We plan to visit St Paul's after lunch' or 'We want to have lunch near Piccadilly Circus' -- again, here the verbs refer to now, but clearly the sentence is about the future.

When you do get to teaching them about other verb forms to speak about the future, be sure to check out our Future plans page, where we've tried to present this as simply and clearly as possible.

Does that help?

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Dear teacher, i know it is difficult for me to understand conditionals, but Am i right, hypothetical conditional is when speaker thinks that the situation he is speaking out is impossible or won't happen now or in the future?! If so, then in my previous question the speaker thinks that students won't go to a hospital. Or if he thinks that we might go some day in the future to a hospital then why dont he use will, because it is possible that we may be sick in the future? Can we use would to express possible future situations and impossible ones? Sorry, please explain one more time for me. I know it is easy for you but for me not.

Hello again Yerlan,

A hypothetical situation is one which the speaker does not consider a real possibility. It may be impossible or simply extremely unlikely in the speaker's view. You can contrast this with real or likely conditional forms:

This English topic lesson was requested a few times last week as many people who are learning English are curious to know the things they will need to be able to say when visiting a hospital and talking to a doctor or nurse.

Here, the speaker sees the situation (the need) as something real. The speaker thinks that there is a good chance of this situation happening.

This English topic lesson was requested a few times last week as many people who are learning English are curious to know the things they would need to be able to say when visiting a hospital and talking to a doctor or nurse.

Here, the speaker does not expect that the situation will occur, and is giving this information which assuming that it is very unlikely to be needed. The situation is possible but not likely, in the speaker's view.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi Peter, I noticed you wrote, "are curious to know the things they would need to be able to say when visiting a hospital " - I have two questions. Does the question of "unlikely or likely to happen" refer to the result part (be able to say) or to the conditional part (the going to hospital)?

Hello Dean,

In conditional sentences, the likely/unlikely aspect relates to the condition, not the result. The result may be certain if the conditon is fulfilled, but the condition itself may be extremely unlikely. For example:

If the sun exploded, we would all die.

Everyone dying in this situation is certain; the sun exploding is, happily, extremely unlikely.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, dear teacher I have a question, in the sentence below what time frame reference is used to? I mean is it a hypothetical future time or present. If it is a hypothetical conditional sentence then speaker doesn't expect the situation to happen. Please, could you explain the rule clearly for me this use of would? "This English topic lesson was requested a few times last week as many people who are learning English are curious to know the things they would need to be able to say when visiting a hospital and talking to a doctor or nurse."

Hello Yerlan,

Would is used in the sentence as the situation described is hypothetical, as you say. Nobody is actually going to a hospital, but they may do so in the future.

If a person were definitely going to visit a hospital then you could use will:

...the things they will need to be able to say when visiting...

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Good day, dear teacher Are these sentences the same, i mean are the time frame of reference of the main clauses of these sentences the same? Are the main clauses of the sentences refer to the present time? Sentences: I would have been sitting on that seat if I hadn't been late for the party. and I would be sitting on that seat if I hadn't been late for the party Do i understand the meaning of these sentences correctly?! A man is sitting in the party and says if he had came to the party earlier he would be sitting on that seat right now. Or the first sentences refer to past, i mean a man thins that for example yesterday if he had came to the party earlier then he would have been sittin on that seat. Thak you and sorry for long writing, i did what i could.

Hello Yerlan

In the first sentence (with 'would have been'), it sounds as if he is thinking about the past, for example, yesterday. I suppose that in some very specific situation, it could be that he is at the party at the time of speaking, but in general if he is at the party now, the second sentence is the one he would use to speak about the present time.

Your question was very clear -- good job explaining it!

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, Our Gold and dear teacher Please, could you expalain this sentence I understand every word in this sentence but can't connect them together to reach the meaning The sentence is: At this moment I will tolerate no dissent. (strong volition)

Hello Yerlan,

The sentence can be paraphrased as follows:

Right now I won't accept any disagreement.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Dear Teacher, Please, tell me the tense of these sentences they refer to. Is it past counterfactual or present one? When do we use this forma with "would" in If-sentences like these and about differences between two of them. I have read about the usage of it in wikipedia, but not clearly understood it. "If you would listen to me once in a while, you might learn something." "If it would make Bill happy, I would give him the money."

Hello Yerlan,

The modal verbs will and would can be used in if-clauses when we are talking about a person's willingness to do something. For example:

If you give John the money, he will be happy.

if you give John describes an event which may or may not happen

If you will give John the money, he will be happy.

if you will give John describes an event which you may or may not agree to; it means something like if you agree to give John or if you are willing to give John.

The use of would is similar. It can be a more polite form or it may imply a little more scepticism on the part of the speaker.

You can read more about this topic here:

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/61299/if-i-go-vs-if-i-will-go-referring-to-the-future/61308#61308

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team