Present Tense Real and Unreal Conditionals II

By: Sean Savoie

Before continuing to study other forms of present tense conditionals, we should first take a look at the homework from last week. The assignment was to change into the unreal conditional form the questions below:

1) What color will you choose if you get a new car?

2) What do you think she will do if her marriage is not successful?

3) If you have a problem with the police, will you hire a lawyer?

4) Will you vote in every election if you become a citizen?

5) How often will you call me if I move to another state?

6) When will you start to work if you get this job?

7) Who can you speak with if you have a problem filing taxes?

8) If the company can not make enough money, what will the owners do?

9) If you are lost in the city, what kind of person will you speak to?

10) Where will you stay if you need a place to live for three weeks?

The answers to this assignment, which are in the present unreal conditional, are below:

1) What color would you choose if you got a new car?

2) What do you think she would do if her marriage were not successful?

3) If you had a problem with the police, would you hire a lawyer?

4) Would you vote in every election if you became a citizen?

5) How often would you call me if I moved to another state?

6) When would you start to work if you got this job?

7) Who could you speak with if you had a problem filing taxes?

8) If the company could not make enough money, what would the owners do?

9) If you were lost in the city, what kind of person would you speak to?

10) Where would you stay if you needed a place to live for three weeks?

Present tense real conditionals almost always express probable or likely results in the future. Some grammar teachers call this the future conditional, but we will continue to name this verb tense the present real conditional. There are a few alternative ways to express probability using the real conditional. These forms are often misunderstood by ESL students. Take a look at the sentences below:

1) Should you find a parking space near my apartment, park there and give me a call.

2) If you should find a parking space near my apartment, park there and give me a call.

3) If you happen to find a parking space near my apartment, park there and give me a call.

4) If you should happen to find a parking space near my apartment, park there and give me a call.

All of the four sentences above have basically the same meaning: the possibility is real, but it is not probable. This use of grammar is common in English conversation because, like the subjunctive mood, the speaker does not place a lot of expectation on the event. In other words, in the above sentences, the speaker does not really expect you to find a parking space near his or her apartment. There is no pressure. This use of the word "should" is particularly confusing to many students, especially when they rely on their dictionary to explain the meaning.

Below are some present tense real conditionals that express a low probability:

1) Should you have a problem, please let me know.

2) Should I see that book at the library, I will take it out and lend it to you.

3) Should you visit Montréal this summer, you should go to see the jazz festival.

Notice how, in each of the three sentences above, the word "should" functions basically the same as the word "if". The only difference is that the above sentences express that the situation is unlikely. In the third sentence, the word "should" has two different meanings.

In English conversation, the use of the expression "happen to" is even more common. This conveys a very casual tone and it often implies that something happens by accident. Using the same three sentences from above, you can apply this grammar in the forms below:

1) If you happen to have a problem, please let me know.

2) If I happen to see that book at the library, I will take it out and lend it to you.

3) If you happen to visit Montréal this summer, you should go to see the jazz festival.

In the same way, the expression "should happen to" gives the impression that something may happen by mistake. Of all these three forms, the "should happen to" form implies that something is very unlikely. The above three sentences can be expressed in the following ways:

1) If you should happen to have a problem, please let me know.

2) If I should happen to see that book at the library, I will take it out and lend it to you.

3) If you should happen to visit Montréal this summer, you should go to see the jazz festival.

Please keep in mind that these expressions are real conditionals. As such, they are completely different from the unreal conditionals. Take a look at the various forms of sentences and questions below. Keep in mind that they express a low probability:

1) Should you get some free time next week, we can get together for a drink.

2) If you happen to be in the mood for a movie, we can go to a theater after work.

3) If I should happen to lose my keys, what should I do?

4) Should she ever give me a call, I will give her your phone number and message.

5) If you happen to get lost in the subway, just speak to an MTA employee.

6) If I happen to be in your neighborhood, can I stop by your house?

7) Should he get in trouble at school, do you want me to call you?