Trova Inglese Insegnanti
Gil
What's the difference?
If I had the money, I would buy a new car.
If I have the money, I’ll buy a new car.
Can you help explain the difference? Thank you!
3 set 2017 08:19
Risposte · 5
1
1. This is a second conditional, and it's a hypothetical situation. It's talking about now. In reality, you don't have the money and you can't buy the car.
2. This is a first conditional, and it's talking about the future. Maybe you'll have the money next year, maybe you won't. You don't know. Whether you buy the car next year will depend on whether or not you have the money.
3 settembre 2017
1
The first conditional is if the situation is possible or likely. The second conditional is if it is impossible or likely.
So, for your second example, you think it is possible to buy a car. For your first example, the chances of getting the car are very low.
3 settembre 2017
1
The First Conditional
The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause:
if + present simple, ... will + infinitive
It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true.
If it rains, I won't go to the park.
Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:
If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).
How is this different from the first conditional?
This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot more unlikely.
For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just a dream, not very real)
But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more likely that I'll have enough money to buy some shoes).
3 settembre 2017
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Gil
Competenze linguistiche
Arabo, Cinese (mandarino), Inglese, Ebraico
Lingua di apprendimento
Arabo, Inglese, Ebraico
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