0Jobs.
Isn't everything about getting a job done?
It could be something you have already done, but wonder if it could have been done differently. Or it could be something you need to do and wonder how to go about doing it. You fumble and hesitate, and struggle to express a situation imagined to be the best for you. How do you put something so complicated into words without making mistakes?
Conditional tenses can be tricky that way, but the pattern once grasped makes it easy as ABC.
Let's look at some relatable examples, shall we?
You go to a cafe and order your favourite coffee. As you curl up with it on a cosy sofa, you think about how the coffee could affect your studying at night.
If I drink (Present)this coffee, I won't study(Present ) tonight.
You haven't ordered your coffee yet and are beginning to regret the thought of having it, because:
If I drank (Simple Past) this coffee, I wouldn't study (Present Conditional) tonight.
You end up ordering a chocolate shake, because:
If I had drunk (Past Perfect) this coffee, I wouldn't have studied (Present Perfect conditional) tonight.
Easy? Now follow these additional tips to ensure that you do it right all the way:
- For sentences that are true, apply zero conditional tenses: If you heat (Present) water at 100 degrees, it boils (Present).
- To express a present condition based on a past imagined differently, use the format of If clause+ past perfect+ present conditional. If you hadn't called (Past perfect) me, I would be sleeping (present continuous conditional) peacefully at home.
- To express a past condition based on current or ongoing activity, use this format: If clause+ simple past+ present perfect conditional.
If I were (simple past) good in drawing, I would have completed (present perfect conditional) your assignment.
