What type of conditional is it?

Question

... and what's the full form?Modern British people probably wouldn't have been able to understand the English spoken in Shakespear's time.

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

It's not a conditional. The speaker is simply making an assumption about a past situation.

Nazanin saryazdi · Answer

I think it looks like a conditional, for example If I were in that city, I wouldn't be able to understand their language. (making an assumption about the past, an imaginary one), but the if clause is omitted. Am I right or wrong?
What is the grammar title then...? Could you please help me.

Fivejedjon · Answer

nazanin saryazdiI think it looks like a conditional, for example If I were in that city, I wouldn't be able to understand their language. (making an assumption about the past, an imaginary one), but the if clause is omitted. Am I right or wrong?

Wrong.

If I were in that city, I wouldn't be able to understand that language is a conditional sentence,, but Modern British people probably wouldn't have been able to understand the English spoken in Shakespear's time isn't.

Have a look at these non-conditional sentences:

When I was a boy, I would spend hours in my tree-top house. - past habit
Mary didn't like dusting, but she would spend hours cleaning the windows. -past habit
My mother wouldn't get up this morning, - refusal
The minister denied misconduct. Well, he would, wouldn't he? - behaviour that is to be expected.

John will become unreasonable when he has had a couple of beers. - characteristic stubborn behaviour.
John would become unreasonable when he had had a couple of beers.- characteristic stubborn behaviour.

The plane left three hours ago, so it will have landed in Gatwick by now. - speaker's certainty.
The plane took off at three that day, so it would have landed by six. - speaker's certainty.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

If a modern British person were transported by a time machine to Elizabethan England, they probably wouldn't have been able to understand the language the English people were speaking on the streets of London.

Now that's a conditional.

Fivejedjon · Answer

AlpheccaStarsIf a modern British person were transported by a time machine to Elizabethan England, they probably wouldn't have been able to understand the language the English people were speaking on the streets of London. Now that's a conditional.

It I, but I think it would be more natural as one of these:

If a modern British person were transported by a time machine to Elizabethan England, they probably wouldn't be able to understand the language the English people were speaking on the streets of London.

If a British person had been transported by a time machine to Elizabethan England, they probably wouldn't have been able to understand the language the English people were speaking on the streets of London.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

fivejedjonIt I, but I think it would be more natural as one of these:

I stand corrected!

Nazanin saryazdi · Answer

Now I understand why it is not a conditional. I wonder why not .......they probably wouldn't be able to.... as an imagined situation? why wouldn't have been able to? I mean...why in perfect tense?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

nazanin saryazdi.they probably wouldn't be able to.

Second conditional
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional_3.htm

nazanin saryazdiwhy wouldn't have been able to? I mean...why in perfect tense?

Third conditional
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional_4.htm

Nazanin saryazdi · Answer

I know the rules for conditionals. My question is about the main sentence: modern British.... . Fivejedjon persuaded me that it is not a conditional. Accepting that, why not wouldn't be able to? why in perfect tense? Thank you.

Anonymous · Answer

nazanin saryazdi Now I understand why it is not a conditional. I wonder why not .......they probably wouldn't be able to.... as an imagined situation? why wouldn't have been able to? I mean...why in perfect tense?

Counter-factual ( past conditoinal) If I were Bill Gate, I would buy out Google. Were + Would must be paired up.
In order to qualify a sentence as conditional, it must meet the the criteria as described in this link.
http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/conditional/

What type of conditional is it?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions