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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Conditional sentences or not

Is this sentence a type 2 conditional, which is unreal? I am not sure if it is a conditional but the structure looks the same and that is why I am confused.

It would be great if we could meet sometime this summer for lunch.

Also, are these conditionals, and what is the difference between them:
1.It would be great if you have some free time tomorrow to meet.
2. It would be great if you had some free time tomorrow to meet.

The second one with 'had' looks like a type 2 conditional, right? But sounds kind of awkward and not correct to use in this case. I am starting to think that they are not conditionals, because the beginning of the sentence (it would be great ..) seems like a normal imaginary sentence. I would like a teachers advice please.
  

Top answer

Anonymous I am not sure if it is a conditional It contains "if", so what else do you propose to call it? What else does it look like? What else could it be?

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous I am not sure if it is a conditional It contains "if", so what else do you propose to call it?
  • What else does it look like?
  • What else could it be?
  • Anonymous The second one with 'had' looks like a type 2 conditional, right?
  • Yes, it does look like that.
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35 Answers
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AnonymousI am not sure if it is a conditional
It contains "if", so what else do you propose to call it? What else does it look like? What else could it be?
AnonymousThe second one with 'had' looks like a type 2 conditional, right?
Yes, it does look like that.
AnonymousBut sounds kind of awkward and
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CalifJimAnonymousI am not sure if it is a conditionalIt contains "if", so what else do you propose to call it? What else does it look like? What else could it be?
Thanks for replying CJ. Someone else in the forum told me that it was not a conditional! I think it is a type 2, right?
Here I am purposing that I would like to meet this person in future, so is
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AnonymousThanks for replying CJ. Someone else in the forum told me that it was not a conditional! I think it is a type 2, right?
Right. You're talking about It would be great if you had some free time tomorrow to meet. It has 'would' in the main clause, and the past in the if-clause, so it qualifies as type 2.
Anonymous
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AnonymousSomeone else in the forum told me that it was not a conditional!
They were probably just noticing that the sentence is not typical because it contains a self-referential element.

It would be great if you had some time to meet tomorrow.

What is "it" in the main clause? "it" in the main clause is
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CalifJimHere I am purposing proposing that I would like to meet this person in future, so is the use of this sentence not appropriate, since type 2 conditionals are unreal?No. You are mistaken on this one. It is appropriate to use this sentence.
I see. So even if type 2 is unreal, it is OK to use it since I am proposing that it would be nice if it happened. Wo
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Thanks for the further clarification.
CalifJimBy the way, you could do it like this:Your having some time to meet tomorrow would be great.
I see. But even this sentence sounds unreal (due to 'would be great'), which is what was causing the confusion. I think I should not think of things as real or unreal in this way. What do you think?
CalifJim
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AnonymousSo even if type 2 is unreal, it is OK to use it since I am proposing that it would be nice if it happened.
Yes, you can use it. It's OK.
AnonymousWould that indicate that it might happen and be real?
Yes. If it happens, it's real. That's the way things usually work.
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AnonymousCalifJimBy the way, you could do it like this:Your having some time to meet tomorrow would be great.I see. But even this sentence sounds unreal (due to 'would be great'), which is what was causing the confusion. I think I should not think of things as real or unreal in this way. What do you think?
As I mentioned in a previous post, the "real"/"unreal"
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CalifJimI don't think so. I'm not a great fan of these terms "real" and "unreal". To me it's more a matter of whether the speaker feels the condition is more likely to come true (if the sun comes up tomorrow) or less likely to come true (if I won a million dollars).
I agree with you. Would it also be correct if I use 'win' instead of 'won' in you example of le
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AnonymousWould it also be correct if I use 'win' instead of 'won' in you example of less likely to come true (if I win a million dollars), which would also show that it is unlikely to come true?
I think you might be misunderstanding some of what I've been telling you. I have given you examples where the if-clause with a present tense was clearly labele
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