There are several types of unreal conditional sentences.
They differ according to the time that they refer to, but
they are the same in one way: the situations that they
show are unreal, hypothetical, and contrary to fact.
Another type of unreal conditional is used for mixed
times (that is, different times for the condition and the
result). There are several types of mixed-time unreal
conditionals. One has the condition in the past and
the result in the present or future:
Examples:
If she had left yesterday, she would be
at home today. / She would be at home
today if she had left yesterday.
(She didn't leave yesterday, so she isn't
at home today.)
If he had learned English when he was
very young, his pronunciation would be
perfect. / His pronunciation would be perfect
if he had learned English when he was
very young.
(His pronunciation isn't perfect because he
wasn't very young when he learned English.)
If he had starting saving his money earlier,
he would be able to buy a car sometime
this year. / He would be able to buy a car
sometime this year if he had started saving
his money earlier.
(He won't be able to buy a car at any time
this year because he didn't start saving his
money early enough.)
If I had been born in 1940, I would be
61 years old on my next birthday. /
I would be 61 years old on my next birthday
if I had been born in 1940.
(I won't be 61 years old on my next birthday
because I wasn't born in 1940.)
Special Note:
A past condition can have a present or future result,
but (logically) a present or future condition can't have
a past result.
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