CONDITIONALS (IF CLAUSES)

 ZERO CONDITIONAL – adevaruri generale/situatii general valabile in prezent/trecut.

IF/WHEN + PRESENT/PAST, PRESENT/PAST

e.g. If you throw a stone in water, it sinks.
If you mix red and blue, you get purple.
I always take an aspirin if/when I get a headache.
When/if I had time, I went hiking on the hills.

 FIRST CONDITIONAL - probabil in viitor

IF + Present Simple, WILL/MAY/CAN/MUST +V

UNLESS(IF Not) PRESENT PERFECT S, IMPERATIVE
SHOULD/CAN

e.g. If the weather is fine tomorrow, we will/can/may go to the beach. (daca vremea va fi buna, vom merge)
If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, ..........= Unless it rains tomorrow, ...
If you see Jane, tell her to call me.
If you should see(= if you happen to see) Chris Hemsworth, ask him for an autograph.
Daca cumva il vezi, daca se intampla sa-l vezi....(slight possibility – posibilitate redusa)
If you have finished eating, you can leave.
 If you will/would wait here, I’ll be with you in just a moment.
Request(if you are kind enough to wait here)
 If you won’t help us, we’ll be upset.
Refusal (if you don’t want to help us, if you refuse to help us)
 If you will bet on horses, you will lose all your money.
(obstinacy/insistance = incapatanare – If you keep betting on horses/ if you continue to bet on
horses)
 If that dog will keep barking, I will call the police.
(annoyance - enervare)

 SECOND CONDITIONAL – improbabil/imaginar in prezent/viitor.

IF + PAST, + WOULD/MIGHT/COULD +V
e.g. If the weather were fine today, we could/would/might go to the beach.(But it isn’t fine, so we probably
won’t go.= daca vremea ar fi buna, am merge)
 If I were you, I would/wouldn’t.......- giving advice.
e.g. If I were you, I wouldn’t make such a fuss about this trifle.
 If he asked you for help/If he were to ask you for help, would you give it to him?
  THIRD CONDITIONAL – ireal in trecut

IF + PAST PERFECT, + WOULD/COULD/MIGHT + HAVE V3

e.g. If it had been fine yesterday, we would/could/might have gone to the beach. (But it wasn’t fine, so we didn’t
go = daca vremea ar fi fost buna, am fi mers.)

 INVERSION(OMISSION OF IF)

I. Should you find a good job, you will be able to travel more.
II.Were I you, I wouldn’t be so naive.
Were he to win the elections, he would become the second Afro-American president in history.
III. Had it rained yesterday, we wouldn’t have gone on a picnic.

 MIXED CONDITIONALS

IF 2, 1 IF 2, 3 IF 3, 2
e.g. If nobody told him about the meeting, he won’t come.
I’m not tall, so I didn’t join the basketball team. – If I were tall, I would have joined the basketball team.
I don’t know her very well, so I didn’t invite her to my party. – If I knew her better, I would have invited her.
I am unemployed now because I was late for work too many times. –If I hadn’t been late for work so many times, I
wouldn’t be unemployed now.
I forgot to call her on her birthday and now she is angry with me. – If I hadn’t forgotten to call her, she wouldn’t be angry
with me.

 SUBSTITUTES FOR ‚IF’:

 Unless (if not)
 On condition that
 Provided that
 Providing (that)
 As long as(atata vreme cat)
 Supposing(2, 3)
 Otherwise/or else(altfel)
 But for
e.g. Do your homework or else/otherwise I won’t let you go out. =
If you don’t do your homework/Unless you do your homework, I won’t let you go out.
If it weren’t/hadn’t been for your help, I wouldn’t be successful now. = But for your help, ....
I will lend you my car as long as/provided that you promise to bring it back in mint condition.