Conditional Clauses—How to Use Them
English language is rich in both idiomatic
expressions and grammatical elements. Those who know English perfectly are
those who can use English appropriately with correct grammar. An interesting
aspect of English grammar that I would like to discuss with you here is how
English people use Conditional Clauses to express different situations. From
the type of conditional clause that we are using, someone we talk to can grasp
what we are talking about, and what situation that we want to convey.
Let me give you an example of Conditional I
and II:
Conditional Type I: “I have a lot of money, I will go to
Australia.”
Conditional Type II: “I had a lot of money, I would go to
Australia.”
The words we use in both conditional
clauses are the same but each conveys different situations. In Conditional Type,
the speaker explains he may have a lot of money later or in other words, the
possibility to have money is high, while in Conditional Type II, the speaker
tries to convey that the possibility to have a lot of money is very low. He
thinks that he will not be able to have a lot of money, thus going to Australia
is not possible.
A man who has been poor and penniless all
his life will say, “If I were rich, I would marry you.” The poor man thinks he
will not be able to marry the person as he himself is a poor person. “If I were
rich, I would marry you” is the most appropriate grammar. If he uses “If I am
rich, I will marry you” is also possible but it means that the possibility to
be rich for him is high. Grammatically speaking, both clauses are acceptable.
Conditional Type III is used to explain the
action that happened in the past or the possibility in the past. Let me give
you a sentence in Conditional Type III: “If I had met you last night, I would
have bought you some bread.” This sentence means that the subject “I” did not
met you, and did not buy you any bread. Remember a cameraman who was aboard
Sukhoi Superjet 100? He died because the plane crashed on Mount Salak. His
family members probably still hope that he is still alive. His wife may say: If
my husband had not been in Sukhoi Superjet 100, he would still be with me by
now.
The last example of conditional clause I
have just mentioned above is used if we compare the past action and the present
action called conditional type IV.