*IF* brings me confusion..

[ahmin92]

I have been watching English-language dramas with subtitle, the word IF confused me a lot.

I don't know when should I add *ed* after the if, when shouldn't I add *ed* after the if

example. 1. If you watched that movie....
2. If you try to...
3. if you killed/killhim...
explain..?

 

[konungursvia]

In 1 and 3, you are expressing a condition (a conditional will normally follow, such as "you would....") but in 2, we are expressing a present condition with a future consequence (If you study hard (now) you will be successful.)

 

[ahmin92]

In 1 and 3, you are expressing a condition (a conditional will normally follow, such as "you would....") but in 2, we are expressing a present condition with a future consequence (If you study hard (now) you will be successful.)

More details, please..? I still don't get it. Examples would be better . thanks:up:

 

[5jj]

• First Conditional
• Second Conditional

 

[TheParser]

I have been watching English-language dramas with subtitle, the word IF confused me a lot.

NOT A TEACHER


(1) It confuses many of us ordinary native speakers, too.

(2) Here are some sentences that seem to give a general idea:

If I have time, I will visit you tomorrow. = Who knows? I may have time

tomorrow.

If I had time, I would visit you tomorrow. = I probably will not have time (I

work 7 days a week).

If I had had time last week, I would have visited you. = I did not have time

last week. That is why I did not visit you.

(3) Can you fill in the empty spaces?

If you study hard, you will learn English.

If you _______ hard, you would learn English. = But you do not study hard.

If you ___ ___ hard last week, you would have passed the test. = But you did

not study hard last week.

I am sure that you did very well. Here are the answers: studied/ had studied.

(4) If you have more questions, just post them. The teachers here will be delighted

to help you.

 

[philo2009]

In 1 and 3, you are expressing a condition (a conditional will normally follow, such as "you would....") but in 2, we are expressing a present condition with a future consequence (If you study hard (now) you will be successful.)

With all due respect, I think this explanation is more likely to confuse than to help our questioner!

In fact, both 1st and 2nd conditionals can refer to either present or future time, although the former are more likely to have future, and the latter more likely to have present, reference, as exemplified respectively by

If he comes here tomorrow, we'll talk to him.

If he came here more often, our job would be easier.