[Grammar] Conditional

[Checkmate]

"We could be the winner if you had kicked the ball." said James after the end of the tournament.

I use "could be" because being the winner is present but it never happens.
I use "had kicked" because kicking the ball should be done in past but it never happened.

Is it grammatically correct to mix up two different conditionals in a sentence?

 

[teechar]

If the tournament is over and they're not the winners, then you need to use the third conditional!

"We could have been the winners if you had kicked the ball."
or
"We could have been the winners had you kicked the ball."

 

[Matthew Wai]

'We would have the trophy now if you had kicked the ball.'
Is it OK?
Not a teacher.

 

[Barb_D]

Matthew, there are many ways you can express the idea of winning.
Let's keep this thread about the tenses used in conditionals and not vocabulary about winning.

 

[Polyester]

Can this be said as below in red?

"We will be the winner if you kicked the ball." said James after the end of the tournament.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

No, that doesn't work.

 

[emsr2d2]

No, but before the match you could say "We will be the winners if you kick the ball". Note that "We will win/We could have won" would be more natural in all these examples.

I'm not sure what sport guarantees a win if one player simply kicks a ball.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Matthew, there are many ways you can express the idea of winning.
Let's keep this thread about the tenses used in conditionals and not vocabulary about winning.

The OP asked, 'Is it grammatically correct to mix up two different conditionals in a sentence?' So I wrote the sentence in my post#3, which seemed to be a mixed third / second conditional. Was I wrong?

Not a teacher.

 

[Checkmate]

Thank you for the answers but I don't get this.

"I had been waiting for 3 hours before you came".

Why can there be two different tenses in two different clauses?

 

[Rover_KE]

Perhaps you've been taught that the same tense must be used in every clause in a sentence. Forget it; it's nonsense.

 

[Polyester]

No, but before the match you could say "We will be the winners if you kick the ball". Note that "We will win/We could have won" would be more natural in all these examples.

I'm not sure what sport guarantees a win if one player simply kicks a ball.

I'm still confused.
"We will be the winner."
Why doesn't incorrect?
will be = became in one day

Am I wrong?
Not a teacher.

 

[Matthew Wai]

will be = became in one day

'Will be' refers to the future but 'became' refers to the past.

Not a teacher.

 

[Checkmate]

I have heard about Mixed Conditionals. I don't know if this thread is related or not.

 

[SoothingDave]

"We could be the winner if you had kicked the ball." said James after the end of the tournament.

I use "could be" because being the winner is present but it never happens.
I use "had kicked" because kicking the ball should be done in past but it never happened.

Is it grammatically correct to mix up two different conditionals in a sentence?

We could have been the winner if you had kicked the ball.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I have heard about Mixed Conditionals. I don't know if this thread is related or not.

My sentence in post#2 seems to be a mixed third / second conditional.

Not a teacher.

 

[Checkmate]

My sentence in post#2 seems to be a mixed third / second conditional.

Not a teacher.

I agree.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Unfortunately, no teachers have responded to it.

Not a teacher.