Present Unreal Conditionals 

Unreal Conditionals and Backshifting 

We use unreal conditionals when we are talking about something that is not real, either something that is impossible, or something that is imaginary or very unlikely. We move the tenses back one step, sometimes called backshifting, to show this unreality. So, when we're talking about the present, we use the past tense or past modals, and when we are talking about the past, we use the past perfect or a modal with 'have' and past participle. We also use the past tense to talk about future unreal things which is a little bit less logical. The second and third conditionals are examples of unreal conditionals.  

Present Unreal Conditionals 

We can use unreal conditionals to talk about impossible things in the present. We can be talking about one specific thing that is impossible or not true or about things in general. We use the past simple in the if-clause, and we use ‘would + infinitive’ in the main clause. This is one of the uses of the classic second conditional.  

• If I had enough money, I would buy a car, (but I don't have enough money). 
• If I knew her phone number, I would call her, (but I don't know her phone number).  

We can use other past modals in the main clause like 'should', 'could', 'might', or 'ought to'.  

• If I knew her number, I could call her. (Of course I don't know her number.) 
• If I knew her number, I might call her.  

In this case, we can't use modals that don't have a past form. So ‘must’ for example, doesn't have a past form. In this case, we need to use ‘would have to’.  

• If I was still at school, I would have to wear a uniform. (NOT: if I was still at school, I must wear a uniform.) 

We can often use ‘were’ instead of ‘was’ with ‘he / she / it’ in the if-clause in formal English, and some people still think that ‘was’ is not correct. So if you're having a formal conversation or writing something for an exam, you should use ‘were’.  

• If he were President, he would raise taxes. 
• If it were summer, we could go to the beach. 
• If she were a student, she would live at the university.  

However, in everyday speech, it’s more common to use ‘was’ with ‘he / she / it’. The only place that we almost always use ‘were’ is in the fixed expression ‘if I were you’.  

• If I were you, I wouldn't eat all that chocolate.  

When the verb in the if-clause is ‘be’, we can again use ‘were’ instead of ‘was’, drop ‘if’, and invert were and the subject. This makes the conditional very formal.  

• Were I rich, I wouldn't do this job. 
• Were you the President, would you raise taxes?