Conditional Sentences - 5

Conditional ("if") sentences normally have two parts. One part shows a result and the other shows a condition on which the result depends. The condition is normally preceded by if. In "He'd be angry if he hadn't gotten what he wanted," the result is "he'd be angry" and the condition (introduced by "if") is "he hadn't gotten
what he wanted."

There are two main types of conditional sentences: real and unreal. Real conditional sentences refer to situations that are either true or possible. Unreal conditionals refer to situations that are untrue, impossible or hypothetical; conditional sentences of this type are often described as being contrary to fact.

Let's look at another possibility for unreal conditionals.

Unreal Conditionals - 3
There are several types of unreal conditional sentences. They differ according to the time that they refer to, but they are the same in one way: the situations that they show are unreal, hypothetical, and contrary to fact.

Another type of unreal conditional is used for mixed times (that is, different times for the condition and the result). There are several types of mixed-time unreal conditionals. One has the condition in the past and the result in the present or future:

Examples:
If he had left last night, she would be at home today. / She would be at home  today if she had left last night.
(She didn't leave last night, so she isn't at home today.)

If he had learned French when he was very young, his pronunciation would be perfect. / His pronunciation would be perfect if he had learned French when he was very young.
(His pronunciation isn't perfect because he wasn't very young when he learned French.)

If he had starting saving his money earlier, he would be able to buy a computer sometime this year. / He would be able to buy a computer
sometime this year if he had started saving his money earlier.
(He won't be able to buy a computer at any time this year because he didn't start saving his money early enough.)

If I had been born in 2000, I would be 19 years old on my next birthday. / I would be 19 years old on my next birthday if I had been born in 2000.
(I won't be 19 years old on my next birthday because I wasn't born in 2000.)

Extra Notes:
A past condition can have a present or future result, but (logically) a present or future condition can't have a past result.

Conditional Sentences - 1
Conditional Sentences - 2
Conditional Sentences - 3
Conditional Sentences - 4
Conditional Sentences - 6