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Real and Unreal Conditions

You have probably used conditional sentences. You must have also encountered sentences in real and unreal conditions. This lesson will focus on the meaning, the use, and the forms of such sentences. We will examine how, when, and why we may use "if" and "wish" clauses

What is a Conditional Sentence?

A conditional sentence consists of an if-clause, which presents a situation or a condition, and a result clause, which presents the consequence of the condition. For example:

If it rains, the streets get wet.

"If it rains" is the condition that produces the result "the streets get wet."

If I have enough time, I watch television every evening.

"Enough time" is the condition that produces the result of "watching television."

Conditional Real:

The above sentences are in real conditions. By real, we mean possible; the conditions may very well occur, hence, the results may also occur.

In conditional sentences that express true and factual ideas in the present or in the future, the simple present is used in the if-clause. For example:

If the temperature reaches zero degrees, water freezes.
(Notice that "water freezes" here is in the present simple.)

If the temperature reaches zero degrees, water will freeze.
(Notice that "water will freeze" is in the future.) 

Conditional Unreal:

Conditional unreal refers to situations where the speaker is speaking of a situation or a condition that is not true or real. It is merely an idea. For example:

If I had a lot of money, I would buy a car.

Notice the use of "had" here. Why did the speaker use "had" and not "have?" The reason is that the speaker does not have money. For this reason, he used the past tense of "have." The condition is untrue and unreal. He really does not have money.

In the same manner, notice that the result uses "would" instead of "will," and this is also because the condition is unreal, so the result must also be unreal.

To illustrate this further, let us assume the following events:

You are at the mall. You see a shirt that you like. The shirt is $50.00. You want to buy it, but you do not know if you have enough money. What would you say? Well, notice that the situation thus far is real, so what you may say is: "If I have enough money, I will buy the shirt." This is a real condition, right? You do not know how much money you have in your wallet. If you have enough, you will buy it. The condition is possible and real.

"Now you check your wallet, and you find that you have only $30.00. You cannot buy the shirt because you do not have the money. The condition now is unreal. You may say: "If I had money, I would buy the shirt." Notice the use of "had" and "would" in the unreal situation.

Let us look at some examples to clarify this idea further.

If I had time, I would visit you.

If I had enough gas, I would drive to Vegas.

If I had enough strength, I would run.

Notice that in all the three situations above the conditions are unreal. In the first one, I do not have enough time, so I am not going to visit you. In the second sentence, I do not have gas, so I am not driving to Vegas. And in the third sentence, I do not have enough strength to run, so I am not going to run. All of these are impossible conditions, so the results are also not going to happen. For these reasons, we must use the past form of the verb, and we refer to it as the unreal form of the verb.

The Unreal Form of Verb "Be"

Note that "were" is used for both singular and plural subjects in unreal conditions. Although "was" is often used in informal speech, you are encouraged to avoid making such an error. Again, remember that in unreal conditions, the verb "to be" will always be "were" regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural. For example:

If I were you, I would study more.

If I were the president, I would support education.

If I were rich, I would help the poor.

If I were German, I would speak German fluently.

Notice that "were" is used with all subjects, singular and plural. "Were" is used to indicate that the condition is unreal and impossible. In the first sentence, I am not you, that is why I say "if I were you." In the second sentence, I said, "If I were the president" because I am not the president; the condition is impossible and unreal. In the third sentence, I am not rich, so I say, "If I were rich." And in the last sentence, I am not German, so I say, "If I were German."

The Various Times:

So far we have examined the conditional unreal in the "now" time. We stressed that the unreal form of the verb in the "now" time must be the past (-ed form). For example, "If I had money, I would buy a car."

What if the whole time is not "now" but in the past? Well, in this case the unreal form of the verb must be in the past perfect (-en form). For example, "If I had had money..." If the unreal verb is in this (-en form), then the result must be in the modal perfect.

Consider the following:

Assuming that I invited you to my birthday party on the Saturday of the week I talked with you. Here is a possible dialogue:

Sabri: "I have a birthday party on Saturday, please come.

You: "Yes, if I have time, I will come."
(Notice that this is a real situation)

The party time arrived and you were not able to make it. I saw you and the following conversation occurred:

Sabri: "Why didn't you come to my party?"

You: "I am sorry. I did not have time. If I had had time, I
would have come."
(Notice, the unreal form in the past is the past perfect.)

Sabri: "If you had come, you would have enjoyed it."

Consider the following examples:

True:  I did not eat breakfast, so I am hungry now.

Conditional:  If I had eaten breakfast, I would not be hungry now.

True:  I did not have enough money yesterday, so I did not buy the shirt I wanted.

Conditional:  If I had had enough money yesterday, I would have bought the shirt I wanted.

True:  I was tired last night, so I did not go with you to the movies.

Conditional:  If I had not been tired last night, I would have gone with you to the movies.

True:  You helped me with my study, so I succeeded.

Conditional:  If you had not helped me with my study, I would not have succeeded.

You Try It:

Complete the sentences with the verbs in parentheses.

1. If I had known that you were sick, I (visit) _____.

2. I was so sleepy last night. Otherwise, I (go) _____ to the theater with you.

3. If it (rain, not) _____, we could go for a drive now.

4. I failed the biology exam. If I (study) _____ I would not have failed.

5. I like this car. If I had money now, I (buy) _____ it now.

Compare your answers to mine:

1. I would have visited you.

2. I would have gone...

3. If it were not raining...

4. If I had studied...

5. I would buy it now.

How did you do? I am sure you have done very well.

Let us now move to the rule of "wish." You will find this to be much simpler

The Rule of "Wish"

"Wish" is used when the speaker wants to be different. I often refer to it as "the unreal dream." This is exactly the difference between "hope" and "wish." We use "hope" to show a desire for something that is possible and can really be achieved. For example, "I hope it rains." Well, it is winter now, it is possibly cloudy, and it is very possible that it may rain. So my desire can be achieved. "Wish," on the other hand, reflects a dream that is not possible to be achieved, an unreal dream. For example, if now were summer and the sun is at its hottest, I may say, "I wish it rained." Notice that verb "rain" is in the past form because the condition is unreal. Just like the case with "if," we use unreal verb forms with "wish."

Read these sentences:

I wish I knew German.

I wish I were rich.

I wish you could have come to my party.

I wish the sun were shinning right now.

I wish I had gone shopping.

I wish I knew how to dance.

Note that "wish" is followed by a noun clause.

Try this exercise:

Complete the sentences with an appropriate form of the verbs in parentheses.

1. I need some help with my homework. I wish Juan (be) _____ here now to help me.

2. I wish it (be, not) _____ so hot today.

3. I wish I (have, not) _____ to go to work today.

4. I failed the exam because I did not study. I wish I (study) _____. If I (study) _____, I (pass) _____ the test.

5. I wish you (tell) _____ me it was your birthday. If you (tell) _____ me, I (bake) _____ a cake.

Compare your answers to mine:

1. I need some help with my homework. I wish Juan were here now to help me.

2. I wish it were not so hot today.

3. I wish I did not have to go to work today.

4. I failed the exam because I did not study. I wish I had studied. If I had studied, I would have passed the test.

5. I wish you had told me it was your birthday. If you had told me, I would have baked a cake.

How did you do? Very well, I am sure

Let Us Review Again

"If" is a conditional word. It creates a relationship of cause and effect. This means that when something happens, something else happens or will happen. This we refer to as real conditional.

For example:

If it rains, the streets get wet.

If it rains, I will stay home.

If I study hard, I will succeed.

Sometimes, the condition is unlikely to take place. We refer to this as unreal conditional. In the unreal conditional we use unreal verbs. An unreal verb means that it is the "past" tense even though the conversation is in the present.

For example,

"If I had money (now), I would buy a car (now)."

This sentence means that I do not have money, and I am unable to buy a car. It is a condition that is based on an unreal condition.

An unreal verb can also be in the "past perfect," even though the conversation is in the past.

For example:

"If I had had money (yesterday), I would have bought a car (yesterday)."

This is again an unreal condition in the past. I did not have money yesterday, and I was unable to buy a car yesterday.

The same applies when we use "wish" in a sentence. Remember earlier we said that "hope" is a real dream and "wish" is an unreal dream? Well, this is it. When "wish" is used, the verb must also be unreal. This means that the verb must be in the "past" when one is talking in present tense, and it must be in the "past perfect" when one is talking in the "past."

For example:

"I wish I had money (now)."

"I wish I had had money (yesterday)."

One thing we need to pay attention to here: the verb "to be" in the unreal form is always "were" regardless of the noun or pronoun. For example, we say,

"I wish I were rich."

"She wishes she were rich."

"We wish we were rich."

Even with the pronoun "it" we say,

"It wishes it were a Mercedes."

Remember, if "wish" is used in a past sentence, the verb must be in the unreal form of the "past perfect."

For example:

"I wish I had not told her the truth."

If the verb "to be" is used, then it also must be in the past perfect.

For example:

"I wish she had come to the party last night."

How are we feeling now? Be sure to review this several times and to post your questions and concerns on the Discussion Board. If you have a question for me, you can e-mail me 

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