‘If’ usually introduces conditional clauses. The same applies to other conditionals such as unless, should and in case which, however, perform other functions in different contexts. As conditionals, they are found in sentences that indicate certain things will happen if others do or do not. While ‘if’ is the most common, the conditionals are generally recurrent in English. Here are some examples:
If I get there early, I will discuss the matter with them. (If)
I would have told you if I didn’t like you. (If)
Should he fail to come, the programme will be cancelled. (Should)
Many people would have been insulting the coach by now if the Super Eagles didn’t defeat Rwanda. (If)
Real vs unreal situations
Conditionals are used to express both real, likely and unreal situations. As a result, tenses used with them are not flat; they change. That is why the difference between ‘If I arrive’ and ‘If I had arrived’ is not just about the time of the indicated action. It is also about possibilities and an action that never was. In ‘If I arrive’, the person can still arrive, while he may not. But in ‘if I had arrived’, there is the certainty that he had not or that he never did. As a result, using ‘have’ in place of had in that particular conditional clause would be totally wrong just as the choice of the tense in the main cause it is introducing should be consistently past:
If I have known he would not be here, I too will have stayed away. (Wrong)
If we won the match, we will be very happy. (Wrong)
Both clauses bear tense errors as the writer mixed real situations with the unreal.
The correct constructions are:
If I had known he would not be here, I too would have stayed away. (Correct)
If we won the match, we would be very happy. (Correct)
Let’s establish the correct tense structures in conditional clauses by identifying their types:
Zero conditional
The zero conditional is used to indicate things that are generally true by nature, law, rules etc. As a result, it makes use of the present simple:
If you repeatedly overcharges a phone, the battery will get damaged.
If you heat ice, it melts.
A dog will be friendly with you if you treat it well.
First conditional
The first conditional is required when we talk about future situations that are real or possible. Because the actions convey reality or possibilities, the present tense is still dominant in the first conditional structure:
If my mum sends the money next week, I will travel to Uyo.
Osimhen will still score if his colleagues continue to cooperate with him.
When you repay the loan you will get another one.
Note that apart from if and when, unless, ‘as long as’, ‘as soon as’ and ‘in case’ can also introduce the conditional:
Unless his colleagues fail to cooperate with him, Osimhen will still score today.
As long as he repays his loan, the bank will continue to help him.
Second conditional
We use the second conditional to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely to be. The implication is that the structure is tricky as it eliminates the present simple. The dominant tense is the past + would + infinitive:
If Nigerian had visionary and committed leaders, we would be as developed as Finland.
If I won the prize, I would be out of this country.
If I were you, I wouldn’t study Law.
You must, therefore, always differentiate between the first condition and the second. In the first, the action has not occurred but it is possible and likely. In the second conditional, however, not only has the action not occurred but it is also unreal and impossible. For the latter, always opt for the past tense:
If I am Tinubu, I will ask Fubara to return to office. (Wrong)
If I was Tinubu, I would ask Fubara to return to office. (Correct)
The Super Eagles will be object of scorn if they didn’t win the game against Rwanda. (Wrong)
The Super Eagles would be object of scorn if they didn’t win the game against Rwanda. (Correct)
