Have you started learning conditionals? You probably fear you’ll make a lot of mistakes with all those complicated rules, right? And to make things even more complicated, there’s the reported speech. How can you report conditional sentences?

There are numerous English language schools and programs in California that can help you with all the doubts you may have. But to truly master the conditionals and other aspects of the English language, you should rely on as many reliable resources as possible. So, keep reading this article as we explain how if-clauses are changed in reported speech.

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CAN WE USE "IF" IN REPORTED SPEECH?

“If” is a conjunction we use in indirect speech when we report yes/no questions.

Direct speech: Do you want to go to the cinema?

Indirect speech: He asked if I wanted to go to the cinema.

Also, if we want to report a conditional sentence, we’ll keep “if” in the reported speech too.

Direct speech: If it doesn’t rain, I’ll go for a walk.

Indirect speech: She said that if it didn’t rain, she’d go for a walk.

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HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE IF-CLAUSE IN REPORTED SPEECH?

To see what tense and modal changes occur, let’s examine each type of conditional sentence separately.

ZERO CONDITIONAL IN REPORTED SPEECH

The tense shift will occur only in instances when the condition is no longer valid. Otherwise, the tenses remain the same.

Mom: If dad gets angry, he always reads a newspaper in the living room and ignores everybody else.

• Mom said that if dad gets angry, he always reads a newspaper in the living room and ignores everybody else. (Dad still does this.)
• Mom said that if dad got angry, he always read a newspaper in the living room and ignored everybody else. (Dad doesn’t do this anymore. Mom just described his past habit.)

FIRST CONDITIONAL IN REPORTED SPEECH

If we need to report a first conditional sentence, the following changes might take place.

Luke: If we hurry up, we’ll catch the bus.

• Luke said that if we hurry up, we’ll catch the bus. (This information is still relevant. Luke and his interlocutor still have time to catch the bus.)
• Luke said that if we hurried up, we’d catch the bus. (These reported words aren’t relevant anymore. The bus has already left. Note the tense and modal shift: the present simple becomes the past simple, and will becomes would.)

SECOND CONDITIONAL IN REPORTED SPEECH

The above tense and modal shifting rules apply to the second conditional too. If the condition is still relevant, no changes occur. However, if it’s outdated, the past simple becomes the past perfect, and would becomes would + have + past participle.

Sofia: If I had more money, I would buy a new car.

• Sofia said that if she had more money, she would buy a new car. (Sofia still doesn’t have money, and consequently, she can’t buy a new car.)
• Sofia said that if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car. (The speaker remembers Sofia’s words and wishes from the past. Maybe Sofia doesn’t have any money issues now.)

THIRD CONDITIONAL IN REPORTED SPEECH

When reporting third conditionals, there is no change in the verb form:

Tania: If I had seen him, I would have told him about the accident.

• Tania said that if she had seen him, she would have told him about the accident.

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