Unit 38. If I do ... and If I did ...
Unit 38; Part A

(1) Lisa has lost her watch. She tells Sue:
Lisa: I've lost my watch. Have you seen it anywhere?
Sue: No, but if I find it, I'll tell you.
In this example, Sue feels there is a real possibility that she will find the watch. So she says: if I find..., I'll... .
(2) Joe says:
If I found a wallet in the street, I'd take it to the police station.
Thisis a different type of situation. Here, Joe doesn't expect to find awallet in the street: he is imagining a situation that will probablynot happen.

When you imagine something like this, you use if + past (if I found / if there was / if we didn't etc.). But the meaning is not past:
• What would you do if you won a million pounds? (we don't really expect this to happen)
• I don't really want to go to their party, but I probably will go. They'd be upset if I didn't go.
• If there was (or were) an election tomorrow, who would you vote for?
For if ... was/were, see Unit 39C.
Unit 38; Part B

• I'd be very frightened if somebody pointed a gun at me. (not if somebody would point)
• If I didn't go to their party, they'd be upset. (not If I wouldn't go)
But you can use if ... would when you ask somebody to do something:
• (from a formal letter) I would be grateful if you would let me know your decision as soon as possible.
Unit 38; Part C

• If you took more exercise, you'd (= you would) feel better.
• I'm not tired. If I went to bed now, I wouldn't sleep.
• Would you mind if I used your phone?
Could and might are also possible:
• If you took more exercise, you might feel better. (= it is possible that you would feel better)
• If it stopped raining, we could go out. (= we would be able to go out)
Unit 38; Part D

• They'd be upset if I didn't go to their party. (not when I didn't go)
• What would you do if you were bitten by a snake? (not when you were bitten)
Exercises
![]() | Unit 37 Unit 38 Unit 39 | ![]() |
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