Conditional sentences (условные предложения)

Условные предложения выражают: 1) реальные, осуществимые предположения, относящиеся к настоящему или будущему времени, 2) маловероятные предположения, относящиеся к настоящему или будущему времени, 3) нереальные, невыполнимые предположения, относящиеся к прошедшему времени. Выделяют следующие типы условных предложений.

Types of Conditionals	Models		Translation
Zero Conditional	Present Indefinite	Present Indefinite
	If I get up late,	my Dad gives me a lift to school.	Если я встаю поздно, мой отец подвозит меня до школы.
First Conditional	Present Indefinite	Future Indefinite
	If you give me a message,	I shall meet you.	Если вы известите меня, я вас встречу.
	Present Indefinite	Imperative Mood
	If you want to see me,	сall me up.	Если вы захотите увидеть меня, позвоните мне.
Second Conditional	Past Indefinite	Should (would, could, might) + Indefinite Infinitive
	If you gave me a message,	I should meet you.	Если бы вы известили меня, я бы вас встретил (сегодня, завтра).
Third Conditional	Past Perfect	Should (would, might, could) + Perfect Infinitive
	If you had given me a message,	I should have met you.	Если бы вы известили меня, я бы вас встретил (вчера).
Mixed Conditional	Past Perfect	Should (would, might, could) + Indefinite Infinitive
	If you had given me a message in advance	I should meet you today.	Если бы вы извес-тили меня зара-нее, я бы сегодня встретил вас.
	Past Indefinite	Should (would, might, could) + Perfect Infinitive
	If I knew her well,	I should have gone to her party yesterday.	Если бы я знал ее хорошо, я бы пошел на ее вечеринку вчера.

Примечание. Для выражения длительного действия вместо форм Indefinite и Perfect могут употребляться формы Continuous и Perfect Continuous.

Запомните следующие союзы и союзные слова, вводящие условные предложения:

if – если

unless – если … не

in case – в случае, если

p rovided, provided that – при условии

p roviding, providing that – если (что)

on condition – при условии

on condition that – если (что)

suppose, supposing – предполагая, что; предположим, что

given – если (есть, имеется)

granted (that) – если допустить, что; при условии, что.

I. Условные предложения нулевого типа выражают ситуацию, которая происходит всегда. Союз if может переводиться если, когда, когда бы ни. В обеих частях предложения глагол-сказуемое употребляется в the Present Simple Tense.

Model:

If I finish my homework, I always have a rest

Когда я заканчиваю мою домашнюю работу, я всегда отдыхаю.

Exercise 1.1. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

1. If you go to America, you have to have a visa. You can get one from the Embassy. 2. If I read too much, I get a headache. 3. If you drop an egg, it breaks. 4. If you spend over $ 20 at that supermarket, you get a 5% discount. 5. If you boil water, it evaporates. 6. If the soil is dry, practically very little, if any, water absorption takes place. 7. If glycogen is in solution, and if there is some sodium chloride iodide present, the glycogen colors itself a deep brownish–red color. 8. Provided the stimulating current is localized to one region, the form of burst responses is independent of stimulus strength.

Exercise 1.2. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Если мне нужна помощь, я обращаюсь к друзьям. 2. В выходные мы всегда ездим за город, если погода хорошая. 3. Я всегда чувствую усталость, если не высыпаюсь. 4. Если цветы не поливать, они завянут. 5. Если у вас достаточно денег, вы можете обедать в ресторане, когда захотите. 6. Если я опаздываю на работу, мой муж подвозит меня. 7. Если у вас болят зубы, вы должны идти к зубному врачу. 8. Если вы нагреваете воду, она закипает. 9. Если вам надо поменять деньги, вы идете в банк. 10. Если вы хотите преуспеть в учебе, вы много работаете.

II. Условные предложения I типа выражают реальные, осуществимые предположения, относящиеся к будущему времени, и переводятся на русский язык будущим временем. В главной части предложения глагол-сказуемое употребляется в the Future Simple Tense, а в придаточной – в the Present Simple Tense.

Model:

I’ll give you the book on condition (that) you return it next week.

Я дам вам эту книгу при условии, что вы вернете ее на следующей неделе.

Примечание. В придаточном предложении иногда встречается сочетание will + the Indefinite Infinitive. Глагол will является в данном случае модальным и служит для выражения просьбы.

Model:

We shall be grateful if you will send us your catalogue of Diesel engines.

Мы будем благодарны, если вы нам пришлете (будете любезны прислать нам) ваш каталог дизелей.

Exercise 2.1. Paraphrase the sentences according to the example.

Example: Come home in time or else Mother will be angry with you.

If you don’t come home in time, Mother will be angry with you.

1. Listen to the teacher attentively or else you won’t understand anything. 2. Work at the language laboratory or else you won’t improve your intonation. 3. Do your homework properly or else the teacher won’t be pleased with you. 4. Read these books or else you won’t be able to prepare a good report. 5. Speak English every day or else you won’t master it. 6. Help her with English or else she won’t pass her exam. 7. Do your best or else you won’t catch up with the group. 8. Explain the rule to him or else he’ll make more mistakes. 9. Put down your homework or else you won’t remember it. 10. Lend her some money or else she won’t buy this dictionary.

Exercise 2.2. Match a line in A with a line in B and a line in C.

A	B	C
If we can afford it,	I’ll be late for school.	You can put my supper in the oven.
If you go to Paris,	step aside.	The views are fantastic.
If I don’t hear from you tomorrow,	tell him I never want to see him again.	The one we have now is very unreliable.
If the pain gets too bad,	we’ll buy a new car soon.	That should help.
If the bus doesn’t come soon,	I’ll let you know.	That’ll be the second time this week.
If you can’t see what you want in the window,	take another dose of painkillers.	And don’t tell him where I’ve gone!
If I’m going to be late,	you must go up the Eiffel Tower.	I need to speak to you again soon.
If Peter rings,	I’ll expect a call the next day.	Here are lots more things to see in the shop.

Exercise 2.3. Complete the following sentences.

1. If she cuts her hair short … . 2. If the boy takes after his father … . 3. If he grows a beard … . 4. If her dress is ready in time for the party … . 5. If she wears her new dress … . 6. If the woman pays more attention to her appearance … . 7. If you arrange your hair in a different way … . 8. If the girl makes up heavily … . 9. If you describe your sister to me … . 10. If you try these shoes on … .

Exercise 2.4. Translate the sentences into Russian.

A.

1.I shall go to the theatre if I buy tickets. 2. If she doesn’t come in time, they’ll be late for the concert. 3. If I get tickets for the evening performance in advance, I’ll ring you up. 4. He will write a letter today if he has free time. 5. Will you call me up if you come back early? 6. If you don’t tell me the truth, I shall never speak to you. 7. If you go to bed immediately, we’ll take you to the cinema tomorrow. 8. If they take a taxi, they won’t miss the train. 9. If you lend him the book, he’ll read it quickly. 10. The child will catch cold if he stays longer in the wind. 11. I’ll finish the work in time if you stop interrupting me. 12. If I get money, I’ll buy this watch.

B.

1. In case you find some inconsistencies in my treating the subject, let me know what they are. 2. If similar phenomena occur in other organisms, we may expect to find DNA synthesis as a regular nuclear feature, independent of mitosis or polyploidization. 3. Unless mold spores have an opportunity to germinate, they will die. 4. If this somewhat surprising explanation is confirmed, it may challenge the idea of electrocardiographic coronary insufficiency. 5. The core cable theory will be rejected unless reasons are produced for believing that the divergencies are due to the sheath. 6. Unless purely artificial limits are drawn, the designation alga will include all holophytic organisms. 7. The chilled slices will swell unless they are placed in medium of almost twice the osmolar concentration of the extracellular fluids. 8. If a direct current voltage is used, the dipoles in the liquid will have a long time in which to line up with the field. 9. The cells will shrink if the osmolarity of their cytoplasm is reduced to one-half or less of normal. 10. If we use the method I propose for determining the valency of species, we shall of course obtain an entirely different result, which, however, is certain to vary with size of the areas concerned.

Exercise 2.5. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Если пойдет дождь, нам придется искать укрытие. 2. Если мороз усилится, дети останутся дома. 3. Он не ответит по телефону, если будет занят. 4. Я опоздаю на автобус, если останусь дольше. 5. Если погода ухудшится, они отложат свою поездку за город. 6. Вы будете очень расстроены, если густой туман помешает вам увидеть наш город? 7. Он вам позвонит, если будет в городе. 8. Вы не пожалеете, если посмотрите этот фильм. 9. Я буду участвовать в концерте, если не уеду в Москву. 10. Если она не ответит на мое письмо, я не буду ей больше писать. 11. Вы опоздаете на поезд, если не поспешите. 12. Что вы будете делать, если не застанете его дома? 13. Вы не получите никакого удовольствия, если начнет моросить дождь.

III. Условные предложения II типа выражают маловероятные предположения. Они относятся к настоящему или будущему времени и переводятся глаголом в сослагательном наклонении (т.е. глаголом в форме прошедшего времени с частицей бы). В главной части предложения употребляются формы should (would,could, might) + the Indefinite Infinitive , а в придаточной – the Past Simple Tense. Глагол to be употребляется в форме were для единственного и множественного числа. Форма was также возможна для единственного числа.

Model:

If my brother had time now, he would help them.

Если бы у моего брата было время сейчас, он бы помог им.

Примечание. Для выражения малой вероятности осуществления действия могут употребляться следующие структуры: 1) в придаточном предложении - were to + the Indefinite Infinitive, а в главном предложении - would (should, could) + the Indefinite Infinitive, 2) в придаточном предложении -should + the Indefinite Infinitive, а в главном – the Future Indefinite Tense или глагол в повелительном наклонении (чаще всего), но может встречаться - should (would) + the Indefinite Infinitive. Подобные структуры переводятся на русский язык: “Если бы случилось так …”, “Случись, что …”, “В случае, если …”, “Если вдруг …”. Структура 1) переводится “Если бы, допустим …”

Models:

If he should come in the morning, ask him to wait.	В случае, если он придет, попросите его подождать.
If I were to pass the exam, everyone would be astonished.	Если бы, допустим, я сдал экзамен, все бы удивились.

Exercise 3.1. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

1. If she … of the article now, I … it to the newspaper (approve, send). 2. If he …, they … the letter in the wall newspaper (want, publish). 3. If the work … twice as difficult, I … to do it (be, refuse). 4. If we … him to go on with the experiment, we never … any peace (allow, have). 5. If it … summer, we … for a run in the country (be, go). 6. If he … himself, my answer … the same (come, be). 7. If our talk … my brother who is working in the next room, I … you so myself (disturb, tell). 8. If you … in my place, tell me, what … you … (be, do)? 9. If my friend … to me that way, I … offended (speak, feel). 10. If he … ordinary, the girl … him (be, not love). 11. If it … oftener, it … good for the garden (rain, be).

Exercise 3.2. Make second conditional sentences for the following situations.

1. We won’t have a holiday because we haven’t got any money. 2. I don’t know the answer, so I can’t tell you. 3. There are no eggs, so I won’t make an omelette. 4. We have three children, so we won’t take a year off and travel the world. 5. I’m not very clever, so I won’t be a doctor. 6. He spends all his money gambling. He isn’t a wealthy man. 7. I haven’t got any spare time. I won’t learn Russian. 8. Jim works very hard. He has no time to spend with his family. 9. I’ve got a headache. I can’t go swimming. 10. We haven’t got a big house. We can’t invite friends to stay.

Exercise 3.3. Answer the following questions.

1. What would you write about if you were a writer? 2. What would you do if it drizzled? If it looked like raining? if the weather were fine and frosty? 3. What would you be doing if you were at home? in the library? in the kitchen? in the street? 4. Who would you consult if you fell ill? 5. Who would you like to be nursed by if you were ill? 6. Who would you complain to if you had a toothache? 7. Where would you be treated if you had a catching disease?

Exercise 3.4. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

A.

1. What would you do if you won a million pounds? 2. They would be offended if I didn’t go to the party. 3. I would be very frightened if somebody pointed a gun at me. 4. If you took more exercise, you’d probably feel healthier. 5. If it stopped raining, we could go out. 6. If you were more attentive, you wouldn’t make so many mistakes. 7. If I were interested in the topic, I’d choose it for my course-paper. 8. If she worked regularly, she wouldn’t have any difficulties with English. 9. If I were you, I’d study Spanish. 10. If you were practising hard, you would improve your intonation. 11. If you didn’t pass the exam, would you take it again?

B.

1. If this soil were friable, the roots would grow more freely. 2. If it were not for the roots, the plant would not be able to absorb water and mineral substances. 3. A seed would not germinate if the soil were not warm enough. 4. If the soil were not fine, the plant would not develop so quickly. 5. If there were too much water in the soil, it would cause rotting of the seeds. 6. If I were a botanist, I should know the difference between these roots. 7. If this new method of work were applied, we should succeed in obtaining better results. 8. If this were not so, then the properties would be described by test results as in the case at room temperature. 9. If the ozone were suddenly withdrawn from the atmosphere, we should all be killed within a few minutes by the sun’s ultra-violet light. 10. If there were no air, the stone and the piece of paper would fall together. 11. If the air molecules were stationary, we should expect the smoke particles to remain stationary also. 12. These properties would fit them very precisely to act as mediators of the effects of autonomic impulses to effector cells if there was any acceptable evidence of their being liberated at the nerve endings. 13. If the action of light were direct, de-epoxidation under all light intensities would be expected to cease when light was turned off. 14. If the rate was higher than it was, the excess orthophosphate would be expected to appear in the medium since the pyrophosphatase is located at or on the cell wall. 15. This would be the case of course if the intermediate states were less stable than either one of the symmetrical states. 16. If the direct detection of mutations occurring in nucleic acids were possible, this section would be of less importance for molecular geneticists. 17. There would be a mean negativity if an action potential caused depolarization. 18. If a systematist were seeking a type species for the whole assemblage, he would be compelled to choose vaccinia virus. 19. If cells were superinfected with partially adapted particles, recombination might lead to emergence of virulent progeny. 20. The results would be hard to explain if we assumed that this form of afterdischarge were due to any of the other mechanisms. 21. Suppose that stimulation of point A within the motor cortex produced a movement while some stimulus applied to a remote point E outside the motor cortex would produce none. 22. If this were true and followed the above equation, then there would be some point of which the external concentrations would be identical to the internal K⁺ concentrations. 23. If no such repair occurred, the effect of successive doses would be strictly additive, which is seldom found to be the case. 24. There is every reason to believe that if one could obtain an absolutely pure gas, an ion in this gas would have a unique mobility. 25. To put the question in another way, how can the presence of a slit through which a photon does not go prevent that proton from reaching a part of the screen it would be likely to reach if that slit were closed?

C.

1. We don’t expect him to come, but if he should come, ask him to wait. 2. If all the people of the world should count the atoms in a drop of water, they would not be able to finish their work even in ten thousand years. 3. If you should see Ann, could you ask her to call me? 4. If you should happen to change your mind, let me know. 5. If we should stand motionless and hold a weight in our arms, we would not be performing work in physical sense of the term. 6. If this substance should be a mixture, it would decompose. 7. If there should be an abundance of nutrients, a thick myceliae mat will be formed. 8. If all the individuals of an assemblage should be similar, then a serious change in some environmental value would have the most serious consequences. 9. If this response should travel across the cortex, it will cause relative negativity. 10. If water should be added to these lipids, the X-ray periods will be enlarged. 11. If one should ever find ticks with their heads buried in the skin, it would be better not to try to remove them. 12. If later research should show a relationship between these clinical phenomena and experimental depression, then the latter would immediately acquire great academic importance. 13. If you should get this job, I would be able to pay off my debts. 14. If there should be room for you in the car, I would give you a lift. 15. If you should find my book, pop it in the post to me. 16. If you should see a ghost, what would you do? 17. If you should give this matter serious attention, I would be grateful.

D.

1. If we were to remove one electron by some means, a net positive charge would be left. 2. If you were to give up smoking, you would stop coughing. 3. If a nuclear war were to start, the whole world would be destroyed. 4. If you were to find that your friend had betrayed you, what would you do? 5. If the boss were to find out her background, he would never employ her. 6. If I were to find a well-paid job, my whole life style would be changed. 7. If you were to fix the car this weekend, you could go for a drive. 8. If the police were to look in the attic, they would find him. 9. If our football team were to win the game, we would be invited to take part in the country championship. 10. If you were to see the eruption of a volcano, you would never forget the event. 11. If I were to get a driving-licence at last, I would buy a car immediately.

Exercise 3.5. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Я был бы вам очень признателен, если бы вы подписали этот документ и отпустили меня как можно скорее. 2. Если бы у меня был диплом университета, я бы сейчас находился в удобном офисе, а не стоял бы на углу улицы и продавал газеты. 3. На вашем месте я бы выучил сначала слова. 4. Если бы он не был занят, он помог бы нам. 5. Если бы она не была так упряма, она пошла бы с нами. 6. Если бы у меня был номер его телефона, мы могли бы ему позвонить. 7. Я научился бы водить машину, если бы она была у меня. 8. Если бы он вернулся, вы не узнали бы его, ведь прошло много времени. 9. Если бы он был сейчас в городе, он бы поздравил тебя с днем рождения. 10. Кто бы еще мог это сделать, если бы тебя не было здесь? 11. Она чаще ходила бы в музеи, если бы у нее было больше свободного времени. 12. К кому бы вы обратились за помощью, если бы попали в беду? 13. На твоем месте я не просил бы его остаться. 14. Вы знали бы грамматику лучше, если бы уделяли ей больше внимания.

Exercise 3. 6. Translate the following sentences. Follow the model given in the note.

1. В случае, если мы используем метод, который я предлагаю, мы получим совершенно другие результаты. 2. В случае, если я буду жить ближе к месту работы, я сэкономлю много времени. 3. Если вдруг я опоздаю, не жди меня. 4. Если бы случилось так, что ты пошел с нами на экскурсию, ты бы не пожалел. 5. Если вдруг я выучу немецкий язык, я попробую найти работу в Германии. 6. Случись, что он поступил бы в мединститут, он стал бы хорошим врачом. 7. Если ты вдруг встретишь Пола, скажи ему, чтобы он позвонил мне. 8. Что бы ты делал, в случае, если бы ты опоздал на самолет. 9. Ты помог бы мне починить машину, если бы у тебя вдруг появилось свободное время? 10. Было бы надежнее, если бы вы все-таки доставили эту ценную посылку сами. 11. Если бы у нас, допустим, была с собой карта, мы бы знали, где мы сейчас находимся. 12. Если бы, допустим, перестал идти дождь, мы бы поиграли в бадминтон. 13. Если бы, допустим, я выиграл этот приз, я бы открыл свой ресторан. 14. Если бы, допустим, он изменил свое мнение, все уважали бы его гораздо больше. 15. Если бы, допустим, он на ней женился, он был бы несчастлив всю жизнь. 16. Если бы, допустим, я разбогатела, я отдала бы все деньги тебе. 17. Если бы, допустим, мы опоздали на последний автобус, нам пришлось бы пойти домой пешком. 18. Если бы, допустим, она увидела эти фотографии, она рассердилась бы на тебя. 19. Если бы, допустим, я переехала жить в деревню, я бы начала выращивать цветы. 20. Если бы, допустим, тебе понадобилась моя помощь, я бы сделала все, что в моих силах.