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I've studied conditional sentences, especially past condition. When people express a past condition, they should use past perfect tense in if-clause like the sentence below

If I had studied hard, I would have passed the exam.

Is it alright to use simple past tense or modal like the sentence

If I studied hard, I would pass the exam.

If I could study hard, I would pass the exam.

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    You may not realise that in your example #2 If I studied hard, I would pass the exam the highlighted clause refers to a possible future, not to anything you might or might not have done in the past.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 13:18
  • @FumbleFingers Oh ! Thank you so much 👏
    – Hello
    Commented Oct 5, 2022 at 2:14

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If I had studied hard, I would have passed the exam. (You didn't study hard enough, and failed the exam.)

If I had studied hard, I would have a better chance of passing the exam. (You haven't taken the exam yet, but you don't think you have studied hard enough to have a good chance of passing.)

If I study hard, I will pass the exam. (You haven't started to prepare for it yet.)

If I studied hard, I would pass the exam. (You are looking back to the time before the exam.)

If I could study hard, I would pass the exam. (You think that something is preventing you from studying hard.)

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  • Thank you sir !! So you mean other forms like 'simple past' or 'modal' is also grammatical ?
    – Hello
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 12:57
  • All the versions I gave you are grammatical, with different shades of meaning. (BTW, I'm female!)
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 13:01
  • It helps me a lot ! thank you and sorry madam 😭
    – Hello
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 13:04
  • If I studied hard, I would pass the exam. (You are looking back to the time before the exam.) I disagree about "looking back". You could make that statement before even enrolling on the course - you're looking forward to some possible effort you might make between "now" (time of utterance) and some possible time in the future when you might take the exam.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 13:22
  • @FumbleFingers - Yes, I agree that it could also be used of a hypothetical situation. I didn't mention that in order to simplify matters.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 13:50
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Third Conditional- If I had studied hard, I would have passed the exam. (I did not study hard. I did not pass the exam.)

Third Conditional- If I had studied hard (I did not study hard.)

Second Conditional- If I studied hard (I do not study hard.)

[ Second Conditional- If I knew his phone number. (I do not know his phone number.)

If I knew his phone number, I would phone him.

Third Conditional- If I had known his phone number (I did not know his phone number.)

If I had known his phone number, I would have phoned him. (I did not know his phone number. I did not phone him) ]

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  • You might want to complete those sentences rather than just half of one.
    – Lambie
    Commented Dec 10 at 16:55

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