'would have to be verb-ing/ would have had to be verb- ing'

Question

What does 'would have to be verb-ing/ would have had to be verb- ing' mean?

I hope they're basically used for conditional e.g.

if we had to be rich, we would have to be working/ would have had to be working much harder.

Please check if my assumption & usage are correct.

Would there be any difference if we write 'would have to do' instead of 'would have to be doing'?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Progressive forms and the conditional

Second conditional: (untrue or hypothetical condition in the present)

If I were rich, I would be relaxing at home, sipping a cold drink and entertaining my rich friends, not sitting in this stupid cubicle answering stupid email complaints from stupid people.

The "have to be" is an obligation or requirement.

And if you were rich too, you would have to be at my house relaxing and sipping a cold drink with me, not sitting in the stupid cubicle next to me answering stupid email complaints from stupid people.

If I were a pilot, I would have to fly planes every day. It's a requirement of the airline companies.

Third conditional: (untrue condition in the past)

If I had been a pilot during the war, I would have had to fly in dangerous conditions every day.

'would have to be verb-ing/ would have had to be verb- ing'

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