Conditional clauses

Alternatives to if
• provided (that) providing (that)
Providing you clear your desk, you can play.

• as long as = if and only if

You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you share
the expenses.

• unless
We will manage with our work unless she is late
again. (jeśli ona się nie spóźni)
Unless you learn more, you will not pass your
examination. (jeśli się nie będziesz uczył)
 Alternatives to if

• assuming (that)
Assuming that you get a place at university, how are
you going to finance your studies?

• even if
He will definitely win even if he falls.

• if only
If only he didn’t smoke so much. (regret)
If only we could go out, (we would be happy) – but we
can’t go out so we aren’t happy.
 Alternatives to if

• on condition (that)
I’ll give you a day off on condition that you work on
Saturday morning.

• supposing (that)
• suppose (that)
Supposing you miss your bus, what will you do?
 Alternatives to if
• but for
But for Peter’s help, we wouldn’t be here.
But for the coronavirus, we could study in a traditional way.
But for the coronavirus, we didn’t have to study online.

• in case
You’d better take the keys in case I’m out.
I’ll buy a lot of toilet paper in case they close all the shops. 

• whether or not
I will prepare everything whether she comes or not.
Most people will get better on their own whether they receive
medical treatment or not.
 I conditional (future conditional)
Use it when you mean sth absolutely real.
guesses, predictions, assumptions, requests

• If + Present Simple, will + a verb

If the weather is fine, we will go for a walk.
If you don’t stay at home, you will spread the virus.

• If + Present Simple, a modal

If she finishes earlier, she can go home.

• If + Present Simple, order

If you find out the truth, tell me about it.
 I conditional (future conditional)
• If + Present Simple, a modal

If you give him the money, he may waste it. (possibility)

You can refuse to speak if you don’t want to. (permission)

Alice ought to work harder if she wants to earn more.

(advice)

If they hope to win, they must run faster. (order)

 unless = if …..not (chyba, że)
• … should not be used in conditional sentences which
describe imaginary situations.

• unless is used only in I conditional

I will not close the window unless it gets really cold.

Unless something unexpected happens, I will be here

tomorrow.

Unless you leave your house, you won’t get infected.

= If you don’t leave
 unless
It is also used to add an extra idea after the
main sentence.

I’ve prepared a cup of tea for you – unless you

want something cold to drink.

We can finish now – unless you don’t want to go.

• Only then did I understand what she meant.
• Only yesterday did I learn the truth.

• Only when she died, did we believe that she had

suffered.

• Only if you pay him more, will he do the work well.

• Only if you read this book, will you have a chance to
pass you exam.
• Only if they allow us, will we come back to school.

no inversion in a subordinate clause

but
in a main clause
 in case- na wypadek gdyby
the sentences with in case express purpose, not condition

I will take this pill if I have a headache.

(wezmę jeśli rozboli mnie głowa)

I will take a pill in case I have a headache.

(wezmę na wypadek, gdyby rozbolała mnie głowa)

I will prepare something good to eat if she comes.

(her visit is a condition)

I will prepare something good to eat in case she comes.

(I will do it before she comes; perhaps she will come)
 I conditional (future conditional)
• If+ Present Continuous, will
If she is still working at seven, we will start without her.
(jeśli nadal będzie pracowała)
NB: At seven she will be working

• If + Present Simple, Future Continuous

If she gets the tickets, this time tomorrow she will be flying to
London.

• If + Present Simple, Future Perfect Continuous

If they don’t fire me till June, I will have been working for this
company for 20 years.
 I conditional (future conditional)
• If + Present Perfect, Future Simple
If I haven’t learnt English tenses by the end of the
term, I will fail the exam.

NB: I will have learnt English tenses by the end of the

term.

• If + Present Simple, had better

If you see him, you had better not tell him what we are
doing here.

If you don’t want to be hurt, you’d better be quite.

 I conditional (future conditional)
Present subjunctive + future
Formal language; official, important occasions

If it be necessary, we will present further evidence.

If it be important /possible, …
If it be so, …

These phrases are abbreviated to:

If necessary,
If possible,
If so,
Inflation may rise. If so, prices will go up.
If necessary, we will impose strict measures.
 If + should,
We can suggest that something is unlikely, or not
particularly probable , by using should

If you should have any other questions, ….

If you happen to have any other questions,
If by (any) chance you have any other questions,

Emphasis:
• Should you have any other questions, ...
 If + should,

Negative:
• Should you not find me at home, call me.
(*If you shouldn’t find me – it is not allowed!)
• If you happen not to find me,
• If by (any) chance you don’t find me, call me.
 II conditional (present conditional)
Use it when you mean sth contrary to reality
OR hypothetical situations

If + Past Simple, would + bare infinitive

If we didn’t have to study online, we would be
at school now. - but we have to, and we aren’t at school now.
She would be perfectly happy if she had a car/ didn’t have to
stay at home.

If I had four legs, I would run fast (impossible)

II conditional (present conditional)
Use it when you want to give sb
a piece of advice [U]

If I were you, I wouldn’t go out.

If I were in your place, I would…..
If I were in your shoes, I would…..

If I were you, I would have the car serviced.

II conditional (present conditional)
to make suggestions sound less definite, and so
more polite

It would be nice if you helped me a bit with my

homework.

Would it be all right if I came round about seven

tomorrow?
 II conditional (present conditional)
• If + Past Continuous, would
I’m learning now.
If I weren’t learning now, I would help you.

I am delivering the lecture now.

If I weren’t delivering the lecture now, I would be at my mother’s.

• If + Past Simple, would be doing

I am not lying on the beach now because I have an exam
tomorrow.
If I didn’t have an exam tomorrow, I would be lying on the beach.

If it was summer, we might be bathing in the sea. (possibility)

 II conditional (present conditional)
• If + Past Continuous, would be doing
I am delivering the lecture now.
If I weren’t delivering the lecture now, I would be
watching TV.

If you were going to Leeds next week,

I might be going with you. (possibility)
But: you aren’t going so it is not possible for me to go with
you
 II conditional (present conditional)
• If + Past Simple, modal
could = would be able to
might = would perhaps would possibly

If you invited Tom, he could come with his jolly companions.

If I had $500, I could buy a car.
If you asked me nicely, I might get you a drink.
The atmosphere might improve if they stopped nagging at us.

• If + would, would a polite request

I would be very grateful if you would find some time to help me.
 If I were to do sth,
If I were to see him, I would tell him....
If I happened to see him,
If by (any ) chance I saw him,

Emphasis:
Were I to see him,

Negative:
If I weren’t to see him,
Were I not to see him, No abbreviation in inversion!

Were she here = If she were here

Were I your mother = If I were your mother
 III conditional (past conditional)
Use it when you mean hypothetical past situations

• If + Past Perfect,
would have + past participle (the 3rd form of a
verb)

If I had studied more, I would have passed that exam.

= I didn’t study so I didn’t pass.

I would have been in trouble if Jane hadn’t helped me.

= but I wasn’t in trouble because she helped me
 III conditional (past conditional)
If + Past Perfect, modal e.g. could have done
could have done = would have been able to

If he had run a bit faster, he could have won.

If the Italians hadn’t ignored the order to stay at home,

they could have saved (= would have been able to save)
a lot of people.
 III conditional (past conditional)
If + Past Perfect, modal e.g. might have done
might have done =
would perhaps have done
would possible have done

If he hadn’t been so tired, he might have realized

what was happening.

If I hadn’t slowed down, I might have paid a fine.

 III conditional (past conditional)
If + Past Perfect Continuous,
would have (been) done
She was standing far away when the bomb
exploded. That’s why she wasn’t killed.

If she hadn’t been standing far away,

she would have been killed (strona bierna)
the bomb would have killed her.
 III conditional (past conditional)
If + Past Perfect, would have been doing
There were two matches yesterday.
That’s why Peter was sitting in front of the TV
set all evening.

If there had been only one match, Peter

wouldn’t have been sitting in front of the TV set
all evening.
 III conditional (past conditional)
If I had known about it earlier, I wouldn’t have gone into so
much trouble.

Emphasis:
Had I known ....

Negative:
Had I not known …
Had we not missed the plane, we would have been killed.

If I had known = If I were to have known =

Were I to have known
 BUT FOR
II conditional III conditional

If it were not for ... If it had not been for ...

my parents, I couldn’t the lifeguard, I would (could)
(wouldn’t) study. have drowned.

Were it not for... Had it not been for ...

But for my children, I But for the doctor’s help,

would be very unhappy. the child would have died.
 If he had told me the truth, …..
• Had he told me the truth, ……..

• If he were to have told me the truth, …..

• Were he to have told me the truth,…..

• If it hadn’t been for the fact that he didn’t tell me the truth,

• Had it not been for the fact that he didn’t tell me the truth,

• But for the fact that he didn’t tell me the truth, ….

• But for his not having told me the truth, ….

 If +III, II
• If I hadn’t been born, I wouldn’t be standing here right
now. (I was born and I am standing)

• If I hadn’t drunk so much yesterday, I wouldn’t be

feeling so bad now. (I drank and I am feeling bad)

• If I had chosen a different university, I wouldn’t have to

study so hard. (I didn’t choose and I have to study)

• If she had married that old millionaire, she would be a

happy widow now.(she didn’t, she isn’t)

• If he hadn’t been driving so fast, I wouldn’t be dead.

(he was driving, he is dead)
 If + II, III
• If you were more sensible, you wouldn’t have
spoken to your boss like that.
(You are not sensible and you spoke)

• If I were you, I would have apologized to him a

long time ago.

• If he loved you, he wouldn’t have gone on

holiday with your friend. (but he doesn’t love you
so he went)
• If she didn’t phone this morning, then she is probably
away.

If can be used as a conjunction in ordinary structures with

normal verb forms.

If we are not talking about ‘unreal’ situations, we use the

same tenses with if as with other conjunctions.

If (As) John didn’t come to work yesterday, he was

probably ill.

If you didn’t study physics at school, you won’t

understand this book.
 O conditional
• refers to real situations and does not introduce any
conditions

• there is if-clause, but there is no condition

If doesn’t mean on condition but
when, whenever, as, because

• present + present

If you heat water, it boils. (a rule)

If he gets angry, he starts shouting. (whenever)
If you open the fridge door, the lamp goes on.
 O conditional
• past + past
If I didn’t set my alarm clock, I always overslept.
(typical situations in the past)
If I overslept, I took a taxi.

One particular situation:

to show our conclusion, opinion or understanding.

If he didn’t come to our party, something important

must have happened.
 O conditional
• Present Perfect + modal
If you haven’t eaten for such a long time, you must be very hungry.
(skoro)

• Present Perfect + Present

If you haven’t eaten for such a long time, you are very hungry. (skoro)

• Present Perfect + Future

If you have finished your dinner, I will wash up. (skoro)
If you finish, I will wash up – tutaj jest warunek (skończenie) – 1 tryb

• Present Perfect Continuous +

If you have been writing this article since morning, (skoro piszesz)
- you will certainly finish it soon. (future; modal)
- you must be exhausted. (modal)
- you should have a break. (modal)
 O conditional
• Past Simple/ Continuous + Present
If he drank so much yesterday, he has a terrible
headache today.

III + II: If he had drunk so much yesterday,

he would have a hangover today.
(he didn’t drink and he doesn’t have)

If he was working all day yesterday, he is free today.

(skoro)
 O conditional
• Present + Past
If he has a terrible headache today, he probably drank too
much yesterday.

• Past + Future
If she was so rude yesterday, I will talk to her.

If she agreed when he proposed to her, they will get married

next year.

III + II: If she had agreed, they would get married.

(she didn’t agree, they won’t)

I: If she agrees, they will get married. - realny tryb