The simple (or unreal) conditional. Conditional sentences usually have two verbs. and have an "if" in them. The sentence is formed with "would" + the infinitive and what looks like the past tense of the verb.which comes after the "If". Example: I would be enormous if I ate as much as you! (Would be + ate) The sentence can just as well be the other way round: If I ate as much as you I would be enormous! (Ate + would be) The verb which looks like the past tense is really a subjunctive. This is because this kind of conditional sentence is "unreal" that is theoretical. In some cases this is clear. For example: I am not a rabbit and I don't eat grass but If I were a rabbit I would eat grass. Fortunately for you, in English the subjunctive is the same as the past tense EXCEPT for the verb "to be". The subjunctive of the the verb to be is "were":: (I were, you were, he were, she were, we were, they were) So we get sentences like: "If I were you I would eat less;" and "If it weren't so late we could watch a film." However don't worry about this: Many native English speakers use "If I was" or "If he was" etc? in conditional sentences and few people notice. More examples: If I had more time I would learn Italian. What would you do if you lost your job? I wouldn't eat that mushroom if I were you. It might be poisonous. Finally, "would is often abreviated to "'d" so you can say (and write) I'd get a Rolls Royce if I won the lottery. NB. With "I" and "We" "shall" & "shan't" can be used in place of "would" and "wouldn't". If I were you I should buy a new car. We, the committee of the club, should be responsible if there were an accident. In this exercise you can use the contraction, when it is correct, or not as you please.   Close this window to return to the activity