Continuous Conditionals

1. Present Unreal Conditional + Continuous

Structure:

If + were + present participle ... would (verb)

[Result] would be + present participle...were

Present Unreal Conditional + Continuous is used to discuss imaginary situations which could be happening at the very moment.

Examples:

If-clause:

 • If she were taking this class, I would pass this test.
 • If the sun were shining, I would go to the beach.
 • If Peter were sitting here, we would be able to ask him the question ourselves.
 • We would be able to go sailing if the wind were blowing.

Result:

 • If I were with her, I would be passing this test.
 • If I were in Rio, I would be lying on the beach.
 • If my grandfather were here, he would be talking about the war.
 • I would be rafting down the Hong River right now if my leg weren't broken.

2. Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous

If + had been + present participle ... would have (past participle)

[Result] would have been + present participle ... had (past participle)

Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous is used to discuss imaginary situations happening at a very specific time in the past or over a period of time in the past.

Examples:

If-clause:

 • If you had been doing that in front of me, I would have laughed so hard.
 • If I had been talking to him when he said that, I would have punched him in the face.
 • If he had been standing near the house when the wall collapsed, it would have killed him.

Result:

 • If I had seen the movie, I would have been telling my family about it.
 • If you had gone to his house last night, he would have been sitting on his couch in front of the TV.
 • If she had missed her train, he would have been waiting for her at the station for hours.

2.1. Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous can be used like the Past Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize interruptions or parallel actions in the past.

If-clause:

 • If James had been crossing the street when the car ran the red light, it would have hit him.
 • If Tom had been studying while Becky was making dinner, he would have finished his homework early and they could have gone to the movie.

Result:

 • If James hadn't stopped to tie his shoe, he would have been crossing the street when the car ran the red light.
 • If you had gone to their house last night, Bob would have been reading the newspaper, Nancy would have been talking on the phone and the kids would have been watching TV. They always do the same things.

2.2. Past Unreal Conditional + Continuous can also be used like Present Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize a duration of time.

If-clause:

 • Scott said he had been studying Greek for more than five years. If he had been studying the language that long, I think he would have been able to interpret for us at the airport.
 • Sarah claimed she had been waiting in the rain for more than twenty minutes by the time we arrived, but she wasn't even wet. If she had been waiting that long, I think she would have been totally drenched by the time we arrived.

Result:

 • Terry's plane arrived ahead of schedule. If I hadn't decided to go to the airport early, she would have been waiting there for more than twenty minutes before I arrived.
 • At the travel agency yesterday, I waited for more than an hour for somebody to help me. Finally, I got up and left. If I hadn't decided to leave, I would have been sitting there forever.

3. Future Unreal Conditional + Continuous

If + were + present participle ... past simple

[Result] would be + present participle ... past simple

Future Unreal Conditional + Continuous can be used like the Future Continuous in imaginary situations to emphasize interruptions or parallel actions in the future.

The future form looks the same as the present form. The future is indicated with words such as "tomorrow," "next week" or "in a couple of days."

If-clause:

 • If I were waiting there next week when he visits the office, he would be very happy.
 • If I were waiting there next week when he gets off the plane, he would be totally surprised.
 • If he were staying in that hotel next week while the conference is being held, he might be able to meet some of the key speakers and tell them about our new product.

Result:

 • If I saw the movie, I would be telling my family about it.
 • If I were able to go to the train station tonight to meet Sandra, I would be standing on the platform waiting for her when she arrives.
 • If you went over to Paul's house after work, he would probably be sitting there at his computer surfing the Internet.