Use of word

Question

Is it 'find or found'?Would you please call me if you 'find or found' my dog.

RandomGuy · Accepted Answer

find

(The sentence should end with a question mark.)

Anonymous · Answer

Aspara Gusfind(The sentence should end with a question mark.)

Thanks. But doesn't 'would' take a past tense (found) in conditional sentences?

RandomGuy · Answer

Anonymous But doesn't 'would' take a past tense (found) in conditional sentences?

In second conditionals would expresses modal remoteness, but here it is being used to make a polite request in an open conditional.

Fivejedjon · Answer

"Would you please ..." is a polite request. It is not part of a traditional conditional sentence.

Anonymous · Answer

Aspara Gus Anonymous But doesn't 'would' take a past tense (found) in conditional sentences?In second conditionals would expresses modal remoteness, but here it is being used to make a polite request in an open conditional.

I see. Thanks. So only in requests (that end with question marks) it is not required. Would that be correct?

Anonymous · Answer

fivejedjon"Would you please ..." is a polite request. It is not part of a traditional conditional sentence.

Thanks. Isn't it part of a traditional conditional sentence even if a polite request contains an 'if'? I thought that the unclusion of 'if' always makes it a conditional.

Anonymous · Answer

Aspara Gus Anonymous But doesn't 'would' take a past tense (found) in conditional sentences?In second conditionals would expresses modal remoteness, but here it is being used to make a polite request in an open conditional.

Hi AG, I would really appreciate it if you would answer my previous post and clarify the subject.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousWould you please call me if you find my dog.

The present goes in the if-clause if it's introduced by an imperative.

Call me
if you find my dog.

All you're doing is adding a few words to make it more polite. That doesn't change the fact that you need the present tense "find".

Please / Would you please
call me
if you find my dog.

CJ

AlpheccaStars · Answer

AnonymousWould you please call me if you 'find or found' my dog.

If you find my dog, please call me. (This is a zero or open conditional. It is describing a future condition that might happen, and a request to act on it. There is no implication on the probability of the event.)
If you find my dog, would you please call me. (This is only a more polite version of the previous.)
On the remote chance that you find my dog, please call me. (The same sentence, without "if.")

It is not a second conditional:
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional_3.htm

If you found my dog, you would call me. (This structure assumes that the possibility of the event is remote. For example you live in New York, and my dog was lost in California.)
or third conditional:
If you had found my dog, you would have called me.

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJimhe present goes in the if-clause if it's introduced by an imperative.

Thanks, CJ. I am glad that you responded, as I have been a little confused with this.

CalifJimAll you're doing is adding a few words to make it more polite. That doesn't change the fact that you need the present tense "find".

I thought that 'would' should take a past tense verb when used in a sentence that has the word 'if' and looks like a conditional! So I think I understand from you and AStars that a present verb should be used even with an if-clause in a request sentence. Would that be correct?

Also, is the imperative the request part of the sentence (would you please call me)?

Lastly, is this use of the present verb in an if-clause that is introduced by the word 'would' considered an exception, as you have stated above, where as normally in any other sentence that has an 'if' and looks like a conditional should take a past tense verb?

I hope I have managed to understand correctly in order not to get confused, as I though that I understood the use of conditionals and would not encounter any problems regarding that topic, in which you and others have helped on it a lot.

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