Essential Question
How do we talk about hypothetical situations from the past, in the present, or in the future?
What Do I Know?
Use the interactive below to see what you already know about speaking and writing about hypothetical situations from the past, in the present, or in the future.
Learn About Mixed Time Conditionals
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Review: True Conditionals, Untrue Conditionals in the Past, and Untrue Conditionals in the Present and Future
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As you can learn in the Grammar Lab’s True Conditionals module, true conditionals deal with routines or habits—either in the present or future.
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- If I see a snake, I scream!
- If I scream too loudly, I will scare my little brother.
You can also learn about Untrue Conditionals in the Past. These conditionals give us a way to talk about something that did not happen. Untrue Conditionals in the Past consider events that are over and finished—too late for any possible new outcome. They allow us to consider a hypothetical situation or imaginary event that never happened, and then express what would happen if it had taken place.
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- If I had seen a snake, I would have screamed.
- If they had taken a different path, they would not have seen the snake.
You can learn in the Grammar Lab about Untrue Conditionals in the Present and Future. These conditionals allow us to talk about situations that are not a fact. We use this type of conditional to fantasize about something or make a good guess about a situation. We call them “untrue” conditionals because they aren’t based on the facts of what is happening right now.
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- If I were in the woods right now, I might see a snake.
- If I had no fear of snakes, I would not scream.
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Mixed-time conditionals give us a way to mix different times in a sentence. The time in the if-clause is different from the time in the independent clause. There are several mixed conditional patterns.
Click on each of the tabs to learn more about conditions in the past, present, and future.
Conditions in the Past
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A past condition with a present result
pluperfect subjunctive + conditional
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If this action or event had happened (past condition)
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then this other action or event would be true (present result)
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(But, since the first action or event did not happen, then the second one is not true.)
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If I had not overslept,
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I would be in class right now.
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Because I overslept, I am not in class.
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If she had eaten dinner,
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she would not be hungry.
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Because she did not eat dinner, she is hungry.
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If he had finished the exercise program,
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he would be stronger.
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Because he did not finish the exercise program, he is not stronger.
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A past condition with a future result
pluperfect subjunctive + conditional
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If this action or event had happened (past condition)
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then this other action or event would be true (present result)
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(But, since the first action or event did not happen, then the second one is not true.)
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If she had finished her homework,
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she would be going to the movies tonight.
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Because she did not finish her homework, she will not be going to the movies.
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If I had not slept poorly last night,
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I would be staying up late tonight.
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Because I slept poorly, I will not stay up late tonight.
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If the Chiefs had won the AFC Championship game,
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they would be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.
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Because the Chiefs did not win the AFC Championship game, they will not be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.
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Conditions in the Present
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A present condition with a past result
past subjunctive + conditional
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If this action or event were true (present condition)
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then this other action or event would have happened (past result)
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(But, since the first action or event is not true, the second one did not happen.)
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If I were hungry,
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I would have ordered a pastry to go with my coffee.
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Because I am not hungry, I did not order a pastry.
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If she were more organized,
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she would have finished her homework on time.
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Because she is not organized, she did not finish her homework on time.
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If this car were more reliable,
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it would have not broken down on the highway.
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Because this car is not reliable, it broke down on the highway.
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A present condition with a future result
imperfect subjunctive + conditional imperfect
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If this action or event were true (present condition)
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then this other action or event would happen (future result)
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(But, since the first action or event is not true, the second one will not happen.)
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If I had more time,
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I would help my friends move this weekend.
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Because I do not have time, I will not help my friends move.
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If my dog were more obedient,
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I would take him to the dog park after work.
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Because my dog is not obedient, I am not going to take him to the dog park after work.
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If it were sunny today,
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I would go to the beach this afternoon.
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Because it is not sunny, I will not go to the beach this afternoon.
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Conditions in the Future
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A future condition with a past result
imperfect subjunctive + conditional perfect
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If this action or event were going to be true (future condition),
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then this other action or event would, could, or might have happened (past result).
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(But, since the first action or event is not going to happen, the second one did not happen.)
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If I didn’t have to wake up early for work tomorrow,
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I would have gone out with friends.
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Because I have to wake up early tomorrow, I did not go out with friends.
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If he were not going to apply for the management job,
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I would have applied for it.
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Because he applied for the management job, I didn’t apply for it.
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If she were not going on vacation next week,
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she would have gone skiing with her friends last weekend.
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Because she is going on vacation next week, she didn’t go skiing last weekend.
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A future condition with a present result
imperfect subjunctive + conditional
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If this action or event were going to be true (future condition),
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then this other action or event would, could, or might be true (present result).
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(But, since the first action or event is not going to happen, the second one will not happen.)
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If I were performing at the concert this evening,
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I would be nervous right now.
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Because I am not performing at the concert, I am not nervous.
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If she were going on vacation tomorrow,
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she would be packing right now.
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Because she is not going on vacation, she is not packing.
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If we were going to win this game,
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we would have more points right now.
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Because we do not have more points right now, we are not going to win this game.
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Note: You can switch the order of the clauses. You can say either:
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- If we were going to win this game, we would have more points right now.
- We would have more points right now if we were going to win this game.
If the conditional clause comes first, use a comma:
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- If we were going to win this game, we would have more points right now.
If the conditional clause comes second, do not use a comma:
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- We would have more points right now if we were going to win this game.
Do I Get It?
Use the interactive below to test your knowledge of mixed time conditionals: