First or Second Conditional — Real or Imagined Exercises
Practice telling real conditions from imagined ones: if I have versus if I had, and why 'if I were you' uses a past form.
-
If I ___ enough money next month, I'll book the flight.
Show answer
have
A real possibility next month, so present simple with 'will' in the other half. 'Had' would turn it into something imaginary.
-
If I ___ a car, I'd drive you to the airport — but I don't.
Show answer
had
'But I don't' shows this isn't real. 'Had' here means imaginary, not past — and 'would' stays out of the 'if' half.
-
If I ___ you, I'd take the job.
Show answer
were
'If I were you' is the set phrase for giving advice. It's imaginary — you can't actually be someone else — so 'were', not 'am'.
-
If I ___ more space in my flat, I'd get a dog.
Show answer
had
'I'd get' shows this is imaginary — the flat is small and that isn't changing. 'Would' never appears in the 'if' half.
-
If I ___ the answer, I'd tell you — honestly.
Show answer
knew
'I'd tell you' and 'honestly' show the speaker doesn't know. 'Knew' here means unreal right now, not past time.
-
If the flat ___ cheaper, we'd take it — but it's way over our budget.
Show answer
were
'Way over our budget' shows it isn't cheaper, so this is imaginary. 'Is' would mean there's a real chance.
Real or Imagined: 'If I Have' Against 'If I Had'
English signals that a condition is unreal by shifting the if-clause into the past tense. If I have enough money next month, I'll book the flight describes a genuine possibility. If I had enough money, I'd book the flight describes a situation the speaker does not expect — and the money is not a past problem, it is a present one.
This is the point that needs stating plainly: the past tense here does not refer to past time. It marks the condition as imaginary. The result clause follows with would rather than will, and would never appears in the if-clause itself. If I would have more time is one of the most frequent errors in the topic.
The fixed phrase If I were you, I'd... works the same way. It uses were rather than am precisely because the situation is impossible — you cannot actually be another person — and it is the standard way of offering advice in English.
Last updated: · Satori Editorial