Past Real Conditional: Let's Talk About the Past

What happens if you want to express past real life situations? What if you want to express a habit that happened in the past or things that were true in the past? These are things or events that used to happen but do not happen any more.
There is no grammatical conditional that you’ve learned about to express these events, but nonetheless, we need to learn the correct conjugation to express real past events that happened as a habit but imply that they do not occur in the present.
The past real conditional (some say there is no such thing--only a relationship between two past real events) can be expressed using a past tense verb or certain modals in both clauses.
Examples are given.
00:00 Introduction
00:37 When to Use the Past Real Conditional
01:25 How to Form the Past Real Conditional
02:25 Difference between "IF" and "WHEN"
02:37 Used To & Did Not Use To
03:22 Would & Could: Marginal Modals
04:13 Summary
04:32 Conclusion

[@BASHAR_ALSALEH_Me]

Thank you for your responding explain the verbs tenses and if conditions.

[@abhimanyu_sinver]

I needed this lesson, thank you for sharing a great knowledge of this topic looking forward for more lessons.

[@thelearningdepot]

😊

[@noraimahacmad8985]

thank you so much.

[@nilanjandey5366]

Each and every video you make is second to none . It's imperative that every learner watch your videos . You've explained really difficult grammar topics in an interesting and easy way , and I've watched all of the videos and my English has improved a lot , and at the same time you have helped me build up my confidence . Thank you , teacher ( From India )

[@thelearningdepot]

Thank you so much, Nilanjan. Glad to help. 😊

[@Hıyaristanli_mülteci2]

Thanks for the video but when I was searching real past situations on the Net that wasn't what I was looking for. What I wonder is how we use if for cases that are likely to have happened in the past but we are not completely sure. For example suppose we don't know whether our friend passed the test the week before and how his mother's reaction was to the result, and we make guesses about it, like, " if he passed the test, his mother must have congratulated him." Is this usage correct?

[@nazmiocalms7670]

Thank you for the lesson but I think another lesson about OPEN PAST CONDITIONALS ( EVENTS WHICH WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHETHER IT HAPPENED OR NOT) will be helpful as well.

[@quynhanhnguyen2414]

Thank you for this amazing video. I want to read more about past real condition, which books should I look at? Thank you for your help.

[@thelearningdepot]

The best way to learn is through authentic experiences. I recommend you read authentic English texts to increase your vocabulary and encounter the grammar patterns native speakers use.

[@quynhanhnguyen2414]

@@thelearningdepot thank you so much.

[@Cyril-ek8xu]

Thank you for the video. What about using the other modal verbs with the past real conditional, do they take the past forms as well? Like "When I was a kid I had to spend a lot of time doing my homework". I'm asking because I've seen in an old book on economy the sentence "in old times if a man wanted a good house to live in he must build it himself"

[@thelearningdepot]

Yes, that’s correct. And remember that modals don’t take a tense. Great examples. 😊

[@Cyril-ek8xu]

@@thelearningdepot so using must when referring to the past like in the last example is correct too?

[@FarhadNabizadeh]

Hello, Thanks for the lesson. I have a question about the real past condition. Can we think of a real past condition which was not a habit and happened only once? Suppose my friend yesterday needed my help but he did not tell me. Obviously this cannot be classified as a habit. And I am not sure if this can be regarded as a "past unreal situation" and say (If you had told me about that I would have helped you). Kindly advise.

[@thelearningdepot]

Yes, you can. Your sentence is an excellent example.

[@FarhadNabizadeh]

@@thelearningdepotGreat Thanks a lot.

[@hemanthadesilva527]

I feel like watching a 007 movie...!