"If" - conditional

Question

What kind of conditional sentences are the following?

-If I just crossed the road, would that be all right?
-If I just cross the road, will that be all right?
-If I had crossed the road, would that have been alright?

Pemmican · Accepted Answer

Hi maj,

a) -If I just crossed the road, would that be all right?
---> is the "Potentialis" which expresses situations and actions that are hardly possible:
"If I crossed the road" implies the meaning: the possibility is given, but the action will hardly be fulfilled because of maybe having enough intellect to know that crossing the road would be dangerous, so you wouldn't do it.
This rather implies a prediction, too like "what would happen on condition that..."

b) -If I just cross the road, will that be all right?
---> is the "Realis" which expresses situations and actions that are possible and can also be fulfilled.
"If I now cross the road" implies that you have the possibility to cross the road. You're wondering about if it'll be alright now or maybe even better in a few minutes, but the decision to go is as possible as the decision not to go.

c) -If I had crossed the road, would that have been alright?
---> is the "Irrealis" which expresses an action or situation that can't be fulfilled anymore.
"If I would have crossed the road" means that the actual situation where this question was asked is already over. You don't have to decide anymore if you wanna cross the road or not, because the situation e.g. happened already yesterday.
It is rather a guessing about what could have happened (yesterday) when I really would have crossed the road (what I did NOT do).

"If" - conditional

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1 Answers

Pemmican