Conditionals (άλλοι σύνδεσμοι)

1.  If...not / Unless (= except if) αν δεν / εκτός αν

Unless σημαίνει το ίδιο με το if...not. Όπως το if έτσι και το unless ακολουθείται από:

• present tense
• past tense
• past perfect tense

Δηλαδή, τo unless αντικαθιστά το if...not στις υποθετικές προτάσεις όλων των τύπων.

 if + negative verb = unless + affirmative verb

If : If you don't stop eating, you will be sick.
Unless: Unless you stop eating, you will be sick.

If: If he were not very ill, he would be at work.
Unless: Unless he wasn't very ill, he would be at work.

If: If you hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have phoned him.
Unless: Unless you had suggested it, I wouldn't have phoned him.


Notes:

          a) Unless is a conditional word (like if), so we don’t use will or would with it:

Unless I hear from you, I’ll see you at two o’clock. Not: Unless I’ll hear from you …  

b) Unless and if … not both mean ‘except if’:

We could eat at Siam Smile unless they’re closed on a Monday.  

We could eat at Siam Smile if they’re not closed on a Monday.  

We could eat at Siam Smile except if they’re closed on a Monday.

c) We don’t use unless for things that we know to be true:

He won’t be able to get a ticket for the match unless he is prepared to pay a lot of money for it. (The speaker doesn’t know if you’re prepared to pay a lot of money for a ticket.)

I don’t know what we would have done if we hadn’t seen you. (We did see you.)

Not: I don’t know what we would have done unless we’d seen you.

2. Even if (=even though)

Όπως το if έτσι και το even if ακολουθείται από:

• present tense
• past tense
• past perfect tense

και δημιουργούν υποθετικές προτάσεις όλων των τύπων.

• Even if we leave right now, we still won't catch the train.
• I wouldn't go into the water even if I could swim.
• Even if we had booked our flight earlier, it wouldn't have been cheaper.

3. Whether (= if )

Χρησιμοποιούμε χωρίς καμία διάκριση το if ή το whether όταν απαντούμε σε ερωτήσεις ναι/όχι:

Can you feed the cat for me while I'm away?  (Yes or No)
=> She wanted to know whether/if I could feed the cat for her while she was away
      (Yes, I can / No, I can't) 

ΑΛΛΑ:

Πρέπει υποχρεωτικά να χρησιμοποιήσουμε το whether:

• μετά από πρόθεση: There was a lot of discussion about whether Sam should get a motorbike or not.
• πριν από to-infintives: I can't decide whether to buy some new clothes now or wait until the sales.
• σε σύνταξη: whether...or...:   I'm going to spend all my money on a new car whether you like it or not!
• όταν αρχίζουμε την πρόταση με τον σύνδεσμο: Whether I'll get there in time for my exam, I don't know.

4. Providing (that) / Provided (that) / On (the) condition that   με την προϋπόθεση

• Χρησιμοποιούνται στην θέση και ως ισοδύναμα των if  

You may go to the ball, Cinderella, providing you are back by midnight.
You may go to the ball, Cinderella, if you are back by midnight.

She will help me provided that I promise to do her homework.
(She will help me if I promise to do her homework).

Providing that you went to the party, I would go, too.
(If you went to the party, I would go, too).

  

Άλλα παραδείγματα:
Provided you study hard, you can be successful.
Providing no one has any more questions, we can finish the lesson.
I can afford to have a holiday providing  that I earn fifty pounds a day.   
You can borrow the car provided that you promise to drive carefully.
We'll be there at 7.30 provided that there's a suitable train.



 5. As long as / So long as εφόσον / αρκεί να / υπό τον όρο να / με τον όρο ότι

Χρησιμοποιούνται στην θέση και ως ισοδύναμα του If για να εκφράσουμε υπόθεση:

• You can stay here as long as you keep quiet (= If you keep quiet, you can stay here).

Note: As long as is a conditional word (like if), so we don’t use will or would with it:

• You are allowed to go as long as you let us know when you arrive (not: ... as long as you will let us know...) / If you let us know when you arrive, you are allowed to go.

 

6. Supposing / suppose / Imagine if / what if

Όπως το if έτσι και οι παραπάνω σύνδεσμοι όταν ο ομιλητής καλεί τον ακροατή να φανταστεί μια κατάσταση ακολουθούνται από:

• present tense: Supposing I don’t arrive till after midnight, will the guest-house still be open? (Imagine If I don't arrive till after midnight)
• past tense: Supposing you lost your passport, you would have to go to the embassy, wouldn’t you?
• past perfect tense: Supposing he hadn’t recognised us – he might never have spoken to us.

δημιουργώντας υποθετικές προτάσεις όλων των τύπων

Επίσης δηλώνουν....

 a) Suggestions

We use suppose, supposing, imagine if and what if + present verb form to make suggestions about what might happen:

 

A: What time shall we meet?

B: Suppose we meet in the offices downstairs at four o’clock?

A: That’s perfect. I’ll let the others know.

 

Supposing I don’t bring my car and you and I travel together. That would save us half the cost of petrol and parking.

 

A:The electricity has gone. There must be a power cut.

B:What if we find the candles and put them around the room?

A:Ok. Good idea. Do you know where they are?

b) Possibility

*When we are less certain, we use suppose, supposing, imagine and what if + past form to talk about future possibility:

 

Suppose we asked Mary to baby-sit? Do you think she would do it? (not as certain as Suppose we ask Mary to baby-sit?)

 

Supposing someone else wrote the essay. How would we know? (not as certain as Supposing someone else writes the essay …)

 

A:What if I gave up working full-time. I would love that.

B:You’re joking surely!!

 

c) Something that did not happen

* When we refer to something that did not happen (something hypothetical), we use the past perfect:

Suppose we hadn’t brought our umbrellas. (We did bring our umbrellas.)

 

Supposing they had closed the road. Would that have been a good idea? (They didn’t close the road.)

 

What if I had told Maria about the party! That would have ruined the surprise (I didn’t tell Maria about the party).

 

 

7. Only if

• He's welcome to come along only if he behaves himself.
• Tom could have started work again only if he had apologized to the manager.

When the Only if-clause is first there is an inversion in the main clause:

• Sugar is dangerous for the children only if the dosage is too high.
• Only if you like classical music is it worth coming tonight.

8. If it weren't for / If it hadn't been for... + noun
      (only 2nd and 3rd conditionals)

• If it weren't for your map we would be lost now.
• If it hadn't been for your foolishness, we wouldn't have got lost.

9. But for + ουσιαστικό δίχως, χωρίς

• We would have been lost but for the map.
• But for your advice, I wouldn't have been able to solve my problems (= If you hadn't advised me, I wouldn't have been able to solve my problems).

 

10. In case of / in the event of

Χρησιμοποιούμε in case of + noun για να πούμε όταν και αν συμβεί κάτι.

• In case of breakdown, please press the alarm button and call this number (= if and when the lift breaks down, …).

11. And

• Don't start studying and you'll fail all those exams.

 

 

12. It's time / It's about time / It's high time

Δηλώνουν μη πραγματικές καταστάσεις στο παρόν (εξού και η χρήση του simple past: 2ος υποθετικός). Δηλώνουν ότι κάτι θα έπρεπε να είχε γίνει και μάλιστα έχει αργήσει. 

It's about time /It's high time + past simple...

It's time you went to bed. You'll have to get up early tomorrow.

It's high time I bought a new pair of jeans.

It's about time this road was completed. They've been working on it for months.

Όταν θέλουμε να δηλώσουμε ότι έφτασε η σωστή στιγμή να κάνουμε κάτι και μάλιστα είμαστε εντός χρόνου για να το κάνουμε ακολουθούμε την εξής σύνταξη:

It's time (for you) to go to bed (to + infinitive)

It's time to say goodbye.

It's time for breakfast.

13. Or (else) (= otherwise / if not)

We may use them without fear or favour, but the punctuation varies: 'Otherwise' and 'if not' need to be preceded by a semicolon, not a comma.

• You have to walk slowly while walking on this weak bridge; otherwise you will fall off  it.
• You have to walk slowly while walking on this weak bridge; if not you will fall off  it.
• You have to walk slowly while walking on this weak bridge, or else you will fall off  it.

• (αναφορά στο παρόν) If we are not back by midnight, we 'II be locked out.

We must be back before midnight; otherwise we will be locked out.
We must be back before midnight, or else will be locked out.
We must be back before midnight; if not we will be locked out.

• (αναφορά στο παρόν) If his mother didn't pay his fees, he wouldn't be here.

Her mother gives him money; otherwise he wouldn't be here.
Her mother gives him money, or else wouldn't be here.
Her mother gives him money; if not he wouldn't be here.

• (αναφορά στο παρελθόν) If I hadn't used my computer, It would have taken longer to finish.

I used my computer; otherwise it would have taken longer to finish.
I used my computer, or else it would have taken longer to finish.
I used my computer; if not it would have taken longer to finish.

14. As if / As though

Clauses that start with as if / as though describe an unreal or improbable situation if they are followed by an unreal tense [the past subjunctive (p.e. looked) or the past perfect subjunctive (p.e. had looked)]. Otherwise, they express that the statement is true.

 

I) As if / as though + past subjunctive (είναι ίδιος με τον simple past) indicates an unreal situation in the present.

He looks as if he knew the answer (he gives the impression that he knows the answer, but he (probably) doesn't know or we don't know whether he knows or not)

 However, if the situation is true, we use a real tense to express present time:

He looks as if he knows the answer (he knows the answer)

 

If we put the verb preceding as if / as though into the past tense, the present simple knows changes into simple past:

 

         He looked as if he knew (simple pasts) the answer [he knew the answer]

 

 whereas the past subjunctive knew stays the same:

He looked as if he knew (past subjunctive) the answer [he gave the impression that he knew the answer, but he (probably) didn't know or we didn't know whether he knew or not)

 

Consequently, the meaning of this sentence (whether he knew the answer or not) can only be deduced from the context.

 

 

II) As if / as though + past perfect subjunctive (είναι ίδιος με τον past perfect) is used to refer to an unreal past situation.

He seems as if he hadn't slept for days [It seems that he hasn't slept for days, but he (probably) has or we don't know whether he has or not].

 If the situation is true, we use a real tense to express past time:

He seems as if he hasn't slept for days. (he hasn't slept for days)

If the preceding verb is put into the past tense, the present perfect hasn't slept changes into past perfect:

 

           He seemed as if he hadn't slept for days

 

 while the past perfect subjunctive hadn't slept stays the same:

He seemed as if he hadn't slept for days.

Note:

1. We can use both as if and as though followed by a non-finite clause or a prepositional phrase:

She moved her lips as if to smile.

They were shouting as though in panic.

2. Τα as if και as though συνήθως τα ακολουθούν ρήματα όπως feel και look:

She felt as if all her worries had gone.

They felt as though they had been given the wrong information.

I’ve got so much work it looks as if I’ll have to stay at home this evening.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

ΧΡΗΣΙΜΕΣ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΕΣ like/as though/as if The word like should never be used before a clause. Example 1 (incorrect usage): It looks like it will rain. NO Like should be used before a noun only, as in the following example: Example 2 (correct usage): The girl looks like her mother. Take a close look at the two sentences above. Do you see the difference in how they are used? In the first sentence, like is followed by the clause it will rain. In the second sentence, like is followed by her mother. Whenever a subject and verb follow, remember to substitute like with either as though or as if, as illustrated in the final example below. Example 3 (correct): It looks as if it will rain. As... Like... As if/ as though... 1. LIKE + noun or pronoun:   Ressemblance between people or objects: Your daughter isn't blond and like her father.She's more like you!   Description of a person, an object, a place : What's your car like? It's big, white... and it's brand new!   In the expression : to feel like + gerund: to crave for... I really feel like having a good rest. 2. AS  + clause  (subject + verb) and  AS + preposition. -  It all happened as in a real nightmare.  -  As he told you, he's never late. -  Do as you're told, and don't discuss, please!    * in front of a title or a profession: As a doctor, he ordered you to stop smoking because of your asthma...    * the verbs : 'to regard', ‘to consider'  = followed by ‘as'. He's considered as the best pianist of his generation.                                                                                                 3) AS IF/AS THOUGH = used after look, seem and feel to express an impression.        -  He looks as if he's having a good time!          *or  modal preterite indicating a supposition;        -  He behaves as if he were the boss (implies that he isn't = unreal mode).