Grammar Rules · If-sentences: real vs. unreal
If-sentences: real vs. unreal.
For a real future, use the present after if and "will" in the other half: "If it rains, we will cancel." For an unreal or imagined case, use the past after if and "would": "If I had more time, I would travel." Keep "will" and "would" out of the if-part in these patterns; only fixed polite phrases like "if you would follow me" break that rule.
Wrong → right
| Common mistake | Corrected |
|---|---|
| If I will see him tomorrow, I will tell him. | If I see him tomorrow, I will tell him. |
| If I would have more money, I would travel more. | If I had more money, I would travel more. |
| If I am you, I would take the job. | If I were you, I would take the job. |
| If we had left earlier, we would catch the train. | If we had left earlier, we would have caught the train. |
| If you will heat ice, it melts. | If you heat ice, it melts. |
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