kurdapia Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I am confused how to use the conditional word "If". Do I have to make the verb in the present or past tense? What is the right rule?Example: "If I tell you " or "If I told you" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphonse Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 The correct use of "if" all depends on the situation. Both examples you gave are correct in different contexts. Explaining each situation would be very long winded, but here's a link I found that explains it very well: http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/conditional/I hope it's helpful, and good luck with your studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIO5NN8C7DEB15AYGM0U Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 This post has been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurdapia Posted December 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 Thank you guys for providing these links. I quickly had a browse and I know I need some focused reading to do to better understand the rules. From the looks of it I think it would be a bit of a challenge but I can do it. KIO5NN8C7DEB15AYGM0U 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasleenKaur Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 In English we have four ways to make conditional (if) sentences. Example: 0 Conditional – is used for scientific facts or general truths. ‘If’ can be substituted for ‘when’. ‘If you boil water to 100°C, it boils.’ ‘When you boil water to 100°C, it boils.’ 1st Conditional – is used with ‘will/can + base verb’ for a probable future result. ‘If you study hard, your English will improve.’ 'If I get enough sleep, I will feel better.’ 2nd Conditional – uses the ‘simple past’ with ‘modal + base verb’ for imagined, impossible or unreal future situations. ‘If I won the lottery, I would buy a plane.’ 'If you met Johnny Depp, what would you ask him?’ 3rd Conditional – uses the ‘past perfect’ with ‘modal + have + past participle’. It is usually used to express a past regret about something which did not happen in the past. ‘If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a plane.’ ‘If I had been taller, I could have played in the NBA.’ 宇崎ちゃん 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
宇崎ちゃん Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 "If I tell you to shut up, keep your mouth locked". "If I told you to shut up, you should lock your mouth". I don't know how to explain it, I just say what I feel is correct. But I think JasleenKaur nailed it out accurately already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverserewind Posted March 26, 2016 Report Share Posted March 26, 2016 Basically, you can't use anything with "will" or "would" when it comes to using "if". That's the main thing to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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