The conditional for what did not happen and cannot now
I can say what would have happened if things had gone differently
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
If I had known, I would have told you.
It would have been nice if she had come.
If I had the money, I'd buy it.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
For a condition that is contrary to fact, Hindi uses the imperfective participle in both clauses:
The same form covers 'if I were' and 'if I had been': Hindi does not separate the present unreal from the past unreal, and context decides.
| अगर बारिश होगी तो हम नहीं जाएँगे। | If it rains, we won't go. (still possible) |
| अगर बारिश होती तो हम नहीं जाते। | If it had rained, we wouldn't have gone. (it didn't) |
The future in both halves is real; the -ता form in both halves is unreal. तो is obligatory in either.
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesMixing a real and an unreal half in one sentence.
Real and unreal halves mixed
Future in both halves, or the -ta form in both. Never one of each.
to dropped from an unreal conditional
Russian may omit to; Hindi may not.
If I had known, I would have told you.
One form covers both the present and the past unreal.
It would have been nice if she had come.
Both halves in the -ta form.
If I had the money, I'd buy it.
Russian can drop esli here too; Hindi keeps agar or at least to.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi morphology and syntax.
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account relied on for aspect, valency and clause structure.