Italiano — Unreal conditional
The unreal conditional (periodo ipotetico dell'irrealtà) presents a hypothesis contrary to reality: the condition was never met, so the consequence never happened. It links se + congiuntivo trapassato with the condizionale composto, as in Se avessi studiato, avrei superato l'esame.
How it works
Use se + congiuntivo trapassato in the protasis and the condizionale composto in the apodosis: Se fossi partito prima, avrei preso il treno. When the consequence still concerns the present, the apodosis takes the condizionale semplice instead: Se avessi studiato medicina, ora sarei medico.
Examples
| Condition (se + congiuntivo trapassato) | Consequence (condizionale) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Se avessi studiato, | avrei superato l'esame. | If I had studied, I would have passed the exam. |
| Se fossi partito prima, | avrei preso il treno. | If I had left earlier, I would have caught the train. |
| Se me l'avessi detto, | ti avrei aiutato. | If you had told me, I would have helped you. |
| Se non fosse piovuto, | saremmo usciti. | If it hadn't rained, we would have gone out. |
| Se avessi studiato medicina, | ora sarei medico. | If I had studied medicine, I would now be a doctor. |
| Se avessero saputo la verità, | non sarebbero venuti. | If they had known the truth, they wouldn't have come. |
Good to know
In colloquial spoken Italian both verbs are often replaced by the imperfetto indicativo: Se avevo studiato, superavo l'esame. This is widely heard but avoided in careful writing. After se, never use the future or the presente indicativo in this construction.