Hypothetical structures

If I knew... I wish I knew...

When you imagine a situation like this, you use if + past (if I knew / if you were /

if we didn't etc.). But the meaning is present, not past:

• Tom would read more if he had more time, (but he doesn't have much time)

• If I didn't want to go to the party, I wouldn't go. (but I want to go)

• We wouldn't have any money if we didn't work, (but we work)

• If you were in my position, what would you do?

• It's a pity you can't drive. It would be useful if you could.

We use the past in the same way after wish (I wish I knew / I wish you were etc.).

We use wish to say that we regret something that something is not as we would

like it to be:

• I wish I knew Paul's phone number. (= I don't know it and I regret this)

• Do you ever wish you could fly? (You can't fly)

• It rains a lot here. I wish it didn't rain so often.

• It's very crowded here. I wish there weren't so many people, (but there are a lot of

people)

• I wish I didn't have to work, (but I have to work)

After if and wish, you can use were instead of was (if I were / I wish it were etc.).

So you can say:

• If I were you, I wouldn't buy that coat, or If I was you...

• I'd go out if it weren't raining. or ...if it wasn't raining.

• I wish it were possible. or I wish it was possible.

We do not normally use would in the if-part of the sentence or after wish:

• If I were rich, I would have a yacht, (not 'If I would be rich')

• I wish I had something to read, (not 'I wish I would have')

Sometimes wish...would is possible ('I wish you would listen').

Note that could sometimes means 'would be able to' and sometimes 'was/were able

to':

• You could get a job more easily ==> (you could get = you would be able

to get)

if you could speak a foreign language. ==> (you could speak = you were able

to speak)

1. If I knew his number, I would phone him. (know)

2. I would not buy that coat if I were you. (not/buy)

3. I would help you if I could, but I'm afraid I can't, (help)

4. We would need a car if we lived in the country, (live)

5. If we had the choice, we [No answer] would live in the country, (live)

6. This soup isn't very good. It [No answer] would taste better if it wasn't so salty,

(taste)

7. I wouldn't mind living in England if the weather [No answer] was better, (be)

8. If I were you, I [No answer] would not wait (not/wait). I would go now.

9. You're always tired. If you [No answer] did not go (not /go) to bed so late every

night, you would feel better.

10. I think there are too many cars. If there were not so many cars , there [No

answer] would not be so much pollution, (not/be)

Hypothetical Situations

Expressing wishes, preferences and imagined situations

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

Hypothetical situations are situations that we imagine. There are specific English

grammar structures, phrases and forms to express hypothetical situations. Here are

some examples of some hypothetical situations using a wide variety of forms.

They would invest in R & D if they had the capitol. - Conditional Form

If only we had enough time to take a vacation. - Partial conditional form / set

phrase 'if only'

It's time we improved our sales. - set phrase 'it's time'

I wish he lived here. - Verb 'wish' to express a desire

English uses conditional forms to express hypothetical situations.

If they have time, they will come to the meeting.

They would invest in R & D if they had the capitol.

If Jack had taken the job, he wouldn’t have been satisfied.

There are also a number of other forms to express hypothetical situations in

English.

If Only

‘If only’ takes the same verb forms as ‘wish’. This form is used as a means of

stressing the importance of the wish or hypothetical situation. The form is often

also used with an exclamation point.

If only there were more job opportunities!

If only Mary could work for us.

If only our friends had time to take a vacation with us in Hawaii.

‘If only’ can also be used with ‘would / wouldn’t’ to criticize another person.

If only the boss would listen to my proposals!

If only Jeff would consider hiring Peter.

If only Susan wouldn't spend so much time online.

'If only' statements generally imply some sort of solution. Here are some of the

example sentences with the implied solutions provided.

If only there were more job opportunities! - I could find a better job.

If only Jeff would consider hiring Peter. - He's the perfect person for the job.

If only Susan wouldn't spend so much time online. - It can't be healthy for her.

It’s Time

Use ‘it’s time’ with the past simple to talk about an action which finally is taking

place, or should take place soon. It always refers to an action or state that should

have taken place before the moment of speaking.

It’s time you began working on your own.

It's time we changed to a new internet service provider.

It's time they grew up!

Variations on ‘It’s Time’

Here are some common variations on ‘it’s time’ which have the same meaning:

It’s about time…

It’s high time…

It’s high time she took a shower!

It's about time we left for the meeting.

Would Rather

There are three uses of ‘would rather’ to express hypothetical situations:

Would Rather + Base Form of Verb

Use ‘would rather’ + the base form of a verb to talk about our preferences in the

present or the future:

He’d rather his employees work less overtime.

I'd rather leave now.

Jack would rather take a different approach.

In each of these cases, the phrase with 'would rather' shows that another action is

taking place than the preferred action of the subject of the sentence.

Would Rather + Past Perfect

Use ‘would rather’ + past perfect to express hypothetical situations in the past:

They’d rather they hadn’t spent so much on the marketing campaign.

Mary would rather she had chosen a different position.

Wish

We use ‘wish’ to talk about situations we’d like to change. In this sense, ‘wish’ is

very similar to the second or third conditionals because it poses an imaginary

situation.

Wish for Present Situations

When we are wishing for change in a present situation, we use ‘wish’ plus the

simple past.

The director wishes he could attend the presentation.

They wish he concentrated more on his work and less on his hobbies.

Wish for Past Situations

When we are speaking about a past situation in a present moment, we use ‘wish’

plus the past perfect.

Janet wishes she had applied for a new position.

We wish you had seen the opportunity in time.

Wish - Similar to Conditionals

The use of 'wish' is similar to the use of conditional forms. To improve your

understanding of conditionals, this conditional forms page reviews each of the four

forms in detail. To practice conditional form structure, this real and unreal

conditional form worksheet provides a quick review and practice exercises, the

past conditional worksheet focuses on using the form in the past. Teachers can use

this guide on how to teach conditionals, as well as this conditional forms lesson

plan to introduce and practice the first and second conditional forms in class.

Hypothetical (if) sentences

I am shocked and dismayed by many things in this world. One of them is the

number of people who are fluent in Italian but who have not mastered hypothetical

sentences. These are sentences containing an "if" clause and another clause, linked

by some sort of causality. A hint: one of the reasons foreigners are walking around

messing these up is that many of these sentences will involve our old archenemy,

the subjunctive. Yes, you must know the subjunctive to use most of these properly.

Examples:

If you don't read The Smiling Eggplant regularly, you'll regret it.

If I were you, I'd read The Smiling Eggplant.

If he had faithfully read The Smiling Eggplant, he would have enjoyed his trip to

Italy more.

Now. Here is my own personal, somewhat simplified, scheme of these pesky but

essential sentences.

Hypothetical of the First Type, which I call the Real Hypothetical. The easiest one.

If This, then That. The If clause will usually have a present indicative, the other

clause will have a present (sometimes with a future meaning) or a real future

indicative.

Se studi, passerai l'esame.

If you study, you'll pass the exam.

Se mangi troppo, ingrassi.

If you eat too much, you get fat.

Vieni a vedermi se passi da Milano.

Come see me if you come to Milan.

Easy? Hah. But of course it gets more complicated.

Hypothetical of the Second Type, which I call the Unreal Hypothetical. Unreal, or

at least unlikely. Here, the If clause will have the imperfect subjunctive, and the

other clause will have the conditional.

Se fossi in te, non sposerei Carlo.

If I were you, I wouldn't marry Carlo.

Abiterei a Nantucket se avessi i soldi.

I'd live in Nantucket if I had the money.

Cosa faresti se ti si bruciasse la casa?

What would you do if your house burnt down?

It gets worse. Here comes the Third Hypothetical, which is just the Second Type in

the past. I Call it Unreal in the Past. This is really Unreal, since the condition

expressed in the If clause has passed; therefore, the result is impossible. It takes the

trapassato of the subjunctive in the If clause, and the past conditional in the other

clause (sometimes just the simple conditional.)

Se avesse studiato di piu', avrebbe passato l'esame.

If he had studied more, he would have passed the exam.

Non me ne sarei andata se non mi avesse insultata.

I wouldn't have left if he hadn't insulted me.

Se avesse fatto piu' moto da giovane, adesso starebbe molto meglio.

If she had been more physically active when she was young, she'd be much better

off now.

So there are two important parts to mastering this important feature: one, you must

correctly understand the usage of each type and use it appropriately and two, once

you have identified the usage, you must know the correct form of the present

indicatives, future indicatives, imperfect and past perfect subjunctives and (whew!)

conditionals.

Coming up later this week: exercises on hypothetical sentences.

If I were you, I'd do the exercises.

Se fossi in voi, farei gli esercizi