Conditional Sentences

Rafael Teixeira Pinto

6e Eco-FL

English

Conditional sentences He

will do would do would have done

it, if you

Conditions Actual Type 1 Hypothetical Type 2 Unreal Type 3 Attention:

tell told had told

Future Conditional Cond. Perfect

him

Type 1 Type 2 Type 3

→ if … Present → if … Past → if … Past perfect

Type 2 – « To be » est utilise sous la forme « were » à toutes les personnes pour insister. Type 2 & 3 – Les auxiliaires « would » et « should » peuvent avoir des nuances en utilisant « could » et « might » (interchangeable).

DON’T CONFUSE THESE AUXILIARIES! Would Would like to Could Should

Que ferias-tu …? Qu’aimerais-tu …? Que pourrais-tu …? Que devrais-tu …?

Expressions liées au conditionnel 1) « si seulement » … (regret + souhait) (a) If only I were with you on holiday now. If only you had asked me I could have helped you. (b) I wish I were asked me … 2) I’d (would) rather … than … (je préférais … plutôt que …) I’d rather be a hammer than a nail. I’d rather saw the film than read the book.

3) You’d (had) better (+inf.) … 4) Il se peut que … Il se pourrait que …

(Il ferais/vaudrait mieux de …)

→ may → might ou could

= probabilité, cependant le 2e cas à une nuance de réserve, de politesse.

5) It may be that I come late → impossible!!! I may come late

Ways of introducing conditionals 1) Unless – if not, except if (sauf si) 2) In case – precaution (dans le cas) 3) Imagine/Supposing/suppose – imagine if (beginning of a sentences) (Imagine que,…) 4) Provied/providing (that), as/so long as – on condition that (often type1) (à condition que) 5) Formal styles – the if is dropped and the auxiliary verb inverted