karlalou.s
Is this usage of past tense natural?
"If you had a trip to China planned, the Federal Government is urging you to make other arrangements for the time being." (from: <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-01/coronavirus-update-how-to-protect-yourself-from-outbreak/11918302" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-01/coronavirus-update-how-to-protect-yourself-from-outbreak/11918302</a>;)
15 de fev de 2020 23:33
Comentários · 8
2
Yes, the sentence is correct.
Here, we have several interacting structures:
present perfect-->present simple with participial adjective:
I have planned a trip now-->Now, I have a trip planned.
past perfect-->past simple with participial adj
I had planned a trip before the corona virus outbreak--> I had a trip planned before the coronavirus outbreak
Mixed conditional, with one of several possible past conditions and a present result:
If you had planned a trip (=had a trip planned) before the coronavirus outbreak, the government is urging you to..
We usually use past perfect in conditional sentences to show an IMAGINARY past, but here we are using it to show one of SEVERAL POSSIBLE past conditions..
16 de fevereiro de 2020
2
The best form in this case is the present tense : 'If you have a trip . . planned . .'
The past tense is usually used in a conditional structure : 'if you had a trip planned, you would have to . .'
It expresses a possibility [ if . . ] that requires a condition to be fulfilled, or states a consequence of the action.

It could be rephrased :
'If you had a trip to China planned, the Federal Government would urge you to make other arrangements.'
This sounds more natural.
16 de fevereiro de 2020
1
Thank you, everyone, for your explanations and votes. I think what Adrian is saying is trustable, but at the same time this thread shows the reality, the confusion among native speakers. :P
16 de fevereiro de 2020
1
@ Valera The original sentence is not in a form of conditional that would normally use the past tense. You do not have to use this form, as in your example :
'the Federal Government charges this tax only if you previously had .... ' This places the condition in the past, before the consequence.
In the original sentence the condition is not really in the past, but the present, so it is more natural to use the present tense.
Another way to express it would be :
'if you were planning a trip to China . .'
16 de fevereiro de 2020
1
I guess you are a bit confused here because you’re expecting one of the three main types of conditionals.

“If you have a trip to China planned, the Federal Government urges you to make other arrangements for the time being” - automatic result following from another possible future action. Or an expression of the immediacy

“If you have a trip to China planned, the Federal Government will urge you to make other arrangements for the time being” - this conditional type just expresses an open condition whether you have a planned trip or not and the result. (Or whenever you
jave a trip planned.)

“if you had a trip to China planned, the Federal Government would be urging you to make other arrangements for the time being” - expresses a theoretical condition where you do not have a trip planned at present. That’s all about possibility and probability.

”if you’d had a trip to China planned, the Federal Government would have been urging you to make other arrangements for the time being” - referring to an unreal/imaginary past action/situation. Or it would be better to say - chances which you haven’t taken.

In your sentence it’s too straightforward. If in the past you had a trip planned then you’ve got an action enforced by the Federal Government.
The mixture of a 0 conditional type but based not on the possible future actions but the past actions, and a result

So, yeah! Your sentence makes some sense to me
16 de fevereiro de 2020
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