The Use of the Subjunctive Mood in Conditional Sentences

The Subjunctive Mood is used in Conditional Sentences to express an unreal condition (in the subordinate clause) and an unreal consequence (in the principal clause).

There are three types of Conditionals.

The first type expresses a real action.

• If I find my notebook I’ll tell you her telephone number.

The First Conditional

If + Present Simple If you drop it Or Future It will break

Future it will break If + Present Simple if you drop it

The first conditional refers to the future. It is used when there is a possibility that the if-event happens.

E.g. If it rains, we’ll go to the cinema. (= It might rain, it might not).

The other two types express an unreal action.

• If I had time I would read his new book with pleasure.

• I didn’t know you were in hospital. If I had known I would have gone to visit you.

The Second Conditional

If + Past Simple If you dropped it If they asked me to work for them Or would / could / might + infinitive I would do a lot of swimming I might accept

Would / could / might + infinitive it would break I might accept If + Past Simple if I lived by the sea. if they asked me to work for them

The Third Conditional

If + Past Perfect If you had dropped it If I’d worked harder Would / could / might + Perfect infinitive I wouldn’t have married Jo I would have passed the exam

Would / could / might + Perfect infinitive it would have broken I would have passed the exam If + Past Perfect if I’d met you earlier if I’d worked harder

Very often Conditionals are called the Conditional Mood.

The Conditional Mood has two tenses: the present tense and the past tense.

The present tense refers the action to the future.

• I should know what to do.

The past tense refers the action to the past.

• I didn’t know you wanted his book. I should have bought a copy for you too.

CONDITIONALS
Principal Clause + Subordinate Clause (if …)
real		Unreal
Conditional I		Conditional II		Conditional III
Subordinate clause	Principal clause	Subordinate clause	Principal clause	Subordinate clause	Principal clause

Present Simple or Present Continuous	will (not) shall (not) + Infinitive	Past Simple or Past Continuous	Should would could might + Infinitive	Past Perfect	should would could might + Perfect Infinitive
If we go by bus, it will be cheaper. We’ll get there more quickly if we go by taxi. If you don’t hurry you’ll miss the train. If the phone rings, I’ll answer it.		Present / Future If he had the money, he would buy a fast car. I don’t know the answer. If I knew the answer, I’d tell you. If you didn’t have a job, what would you do?		Past If I had been hungry, I would have eaten something. If he had missed the train, he would have been late for his interview. If I had been tired, I’d have gone home then.

Conditional sentences are introduced by the conjunctions if, in case, provided, unless, suppose. If is the most common. In case and provided are chiefly used in sentences of real condition.

Unless has a negative meaning; suppose is more common in sentences of unreal condition.

• If I have time, I will go to the museum.

• I’ll buy that jacket if it isn’t too expensive.

• Suppose he offers you a job, would you be glad?

• Unless you work harder your boss will not raise your salary.

Note:

• Adverbial clauses of condition containing the verbs had, were, could, should are often introduced without any conjunction; in these sentences we find inversion: Should he come here I will speak to him.

There are two mixed types of conditionals of unreal condition.

1. In the first of these the condition refers to the past and the consequence refers to the present or future.

If you had taken more exercise, you would probably feel healthier.

2. In the second type the condition refers to no particular time and the consequence to the past.

She would not have done that if she disliked me.

Sometimes in the subordinate clause should is used:

If he should phone, ask him to phone me tomorrow.

Sometimes unreal conditions may be expressed by but for, if it were (was) not for/ had not been for.

But for your help we should miss the rain.

If it hadn’t been for your help we would not be able to visit your country.