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I have read about conditional sentences over here, now I have to form a conditional sentence but I am not sure whether it should be in second or third conditional sentence.

Do either of the following correctly express the past conditional?

If he were a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you have supported him?

If he had been a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you have supported him?

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  • Your first sentence is ungrammatical as written. It should be If he were a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you support him? With that change, both sentences are fine—although they mean different things.
    – Jason Bassford
    May 1, 2019 at 5:19
  • @JasonBassford Thank you for your reply. But If he were a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you support him? indicates present/future possibility/condition... what I want to express is past, a past hypothetical possibility/condition...
    – pjj
    May 18, 2019 at 19:15
  • You already said that in your second sentence: If he had been a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you have supported him? If that's all you had meant, then I don't understand the presence of the first sentence.
    – Jason Bassford
    May 18, 2019 at 19:18
  • @JasonBassford Oh I see. This is what I wanted to confirm that whether first or second is correct for what I want to express. Please correct me/highlight if English of my comments are not correct. I am on learning path so any help would be highly appreciated.
    – pjj
    May 18, 2019 at 19:21
  • I rephrased your question to avoid the confusion I had.
    – Jason Bassford
    May 18, 2019 at 19:25

1 Answer 1

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The past conditional is expressed in your second sentence.

The present conditional would be:

If he were a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you support him?

So, your first sentence is a hybrid of past and present. It doesn't correctly express either tense.

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