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Contents
�. Counterfactual Conditionals, Present and Past Time

This article is part of an eight-part series on Conditional

Sentences in English:

�. Introduction: What are 'conditional sentences'?

�. Factual Conditionals
�. Predictive Conditionals
�. Hypothetical Conditionals
�. Counterfactual Conditionals
�. Alternatives to IF
�. Other expressions with IF
�. Non-conditional ‘conditionals’

Counterfactual Conditionals, Present and

Past Time
When speakers present an action or state in counterfactual
conditional terms, they are stating that the hypothetical
[non-]occurrence or [non]-existence of an action or state is a

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consequence of some imagined action or state that did or

does not occur or exist:

48. Present counterfactual state, future hypothetical

consequence: I would retire next year if I had more savings
(now).

49. Present counterfactual state, present hypothetical

consequence: If D H Lawrence were alive (today), he would be
horrified by the amount of pornography openly on sale (today).

50. Past counterfactual action, future hypothetical

consequence: If I had saved more (in the past),I would retire
next year.

51. Past counterfactual action, present hypothetical

consequence: If Watson hadn’t bungled that interview last year,
he would be the anchorman now.

52. Past counterfactual state, past hypothetical consequence:

If it had been fine yesterday, we would have had a barbecue

These examples show that counterfactual conditionals have

not only the form of traditional Second, Third and Mixed
conditionals but other forms as well.

SECONDIF + Past Simple, b. present unreal b. If I your

 WOULD  +Infinitive possibility and father were
[Conditional] consequence alive, he’d be
very proud
of you.

THIRD IF + Past Perfect, past unreal If you had

WOULD + Perfect possibility and not passed
Infinitive[Conditional consequence the test, you
Perfect ] would have

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[Modal Perfect] failed the

course.

MIXED IF + Past Perfect, past unreal If we hadn’t

WOULD + possibility with joined the
Infinitive[Conditional] present unreal EU,we would
consequence be better off
now.

They can also refer to more time relations than the traditional
patterns were generally presented as doing. And, as we shall
see later, many modal patterns are possible. Although this
might initially appear complex, the underlying system is
actually completely logical. With a counterfactual hypothesis
about the present, we can show the absence of reality by
using a Distancing [Past] tense form. With a counterfactual
hypothesis about the past we can show 'double distancing'
(from reality and from present time) by using a 'double
distancing' tense form. For normal verbs this is the 'Past
Perfect.’

With modal + verb, we use the (single-) distanced form of the

modal and the (single-) distanced of the infinitive of the verb.
One sentence is analysed below to make this clearer. That
distancing may be in time or in reality causes no confusion. If
the context does not make the time clear, specific time
markers are added (in bold print) or implied (in brackets) in
the examples #48-#52.  above. Here is an analysis of a
counterfactual utterance:

3. f you had not passed the test, you would have failed the
course

The situation, known to speaker and listener, is that before the

moment of speaking [i.e. in past time] the listener passed the

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test and so did not fail the course. The not-passing is

distanced both for past time and counterfactuality: do not
pass → did not pass → had not passed. The consequent later
certainty of failing is also distanced both for past time and
counterfactuality: will fail → would fail → would have failed.

Speakers are therefore not restricted to a prescribed

‘sequence of tenses’, but can refer to any time relation suited
to what they wish to say. As events in the future have not
happened yet, we cannot refer in the IF-clause to a
counterfactual future action or state. However infinitesimal
the possibility, it exists, and therefore can be presented only
as a hypothetical, not as a counterfactual action or state. #53
is therefore a possible utterance, #53b is not:

53a. If the sun exploded tomorrow, the solar system would be

destroyed.

53b *If the sun had exploded tomorrow, the solar system would
be destroyed.

Inversion

With past counterfactual situations, IF is sometimes omitted in

more formal English, and subject and verb are inverted: 

50a. Had I saved more [in the past],I would retire next year.

51a. Had Watson not bungled that interview last year, he would
be the anchorman now.

52a. Had it had been fine yesterday, we would have had a

barbecue

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Problems

Provided that learners understand thoroughly the meanings

conveyed by the modals and the concepts of distancing,
hypothesis and counter-factuality, [though not necessarily
through the use in the classroom of those terms], you can
understand and produce all kinds of conditionals - in the
classroom. It will be some time before you produce them
fluently in normal conversation for a number of reasons.

The most serious problem that is encountered in the

teaching/learning situation arises, perhaps surprisingly, from
misunderstanding on the part of teachers who are native
speakers.  Let us consider an utterance that causes few
problems for learners if they have been introduced to the
structure correctly:

54. If I had known that, I would have told her to come sooner.

In normal speech, this would be said as:       54a. /If aEie??d

nEie??Eie??n ðæt aEie??dEie??v tEie??Eie??ldEie?? tEie??
kEie??m suEeie??nEie??/

In informal speech, some speakers incorrectly add an extra

syllable, resulting in:

54b. /If aEie??dEie?? nEie??Eie??n ðæt aEie??dEie??v

tEie??Eie??ldEie?? tEie?? kEie??m suEeie??nEie??/....or:....54c. /If
aEie??dEie??v nEie??Eie??n ðæt aEie??dEie??v
tEie??Eie??ldEie?? tEie?? kEie??m suEeie??nEie??/   

When they render this more slowly in speech, or even in

writing, such speakers may produce:

54b/c.i. *If I had have known that I would have come sooner. 
[BrE] ...or:....8bc.ii. *If I would have known that, I would have

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come sooner. [AmE]

Less educated people may even write:   54b/c.iii. If I had/would

of known that, I would of come sooner.

Native speakers need to be aware of the possibility that they

might produce these incorrect forms. If they do, their students
will become confused.

A second problem for learners is that the verb forms involved

consist of from two words [e.g. had worked] to three [had been
working, would have worked] or more [would have been
working]. This is made worse for learners by the fact that the
‘past perfect’ is constructed differently from the ‘modal
perfect’. This last point is hardly surprising - they are different
verb forms for different functions, you need to accept that,
while you may understand the concepts. You may need time
and practice before you can produce the forms.

Copyright © 2012 Jed Webb

Written by JE Webb for UsingEnglish.com

About the author:

I began teaching in 1967, and, apart from post-grad studies, have

been teaching and writing ever since. I've taught French and
Herman in British secondary schools and FE Colleges, and EFL at
schools and universities in China, the Czech Republic, Estonia.

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