| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| Do you remember the focus sentence from the dialogue? |
| If I hadn’t taken time off from school, I would be farther in my career right now. |
| This sentence follows the pattern here. |
| This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. |
| If + past perfect clause, subject + would + base verb (present) |
| This sentence pattern — “If + past perfect clause, subject + would + base verb (present)” — is used to talk about regrets or wrong decisions from the past that affect the present. It helps the speaker reflect on something they did (or didn’t do) and what the result would be now if things had been different. |
| Let’s go part by part. |
| The “if” clause uses the past perfect tense. This form — usually “had” followed by a past participle — shows that the action happened (or didn’t happen) in the past. It sets up a condition that is no longer possible. |
| The second part of the sentence is the main clause, which starts with the subject and uses “would” + base verb to show the imagined present result. This part tells us what the speaker believes their situation would be now if the past had gone differently. |
| Now let’s look at the example sentence: |
| “If I hadn’t taken time off from school, I would be farther in my career right now.” |
| The “if” clause is “If I hadn’t taken time off from school.” This uses the past perfect — “hadn’t taken” — to describe the past action that the speaker regrets. |
| The main clause is “I would be farther in my career right now.” This imagines the present situation — the speaker believes they would be in a better position today if the past had been different. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| If I’d had a personal assistant, I wouldn’t be so disorganized. |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| This sentence begins with the if-clause: “If I’d had a personal assistant.” That’s a past perfect clause, using “had had.” Then we have the result clause: “I wouldn’t be so disorganized.” It uses “would + base verb” in the present. This fits the first pattern: If + past perfect clause, subject + would + base verb (present). The speaker is talking about a current problem (being disorganized) that results from a past situation. |
| Next… |
| My boss wouldn’t be upset if I’d sent her the invoices on time. |
| This sentence begins with the result: “My boss wouldn’t be upset”—that’s the subject + would + base verb. Then comes the if-clause: “if I’d sent her the invoices on time,” which uses the past perfect form “had sent.” This follows the second pattern: Subject + would + base verb (present), if + past perfect clause. It shows a present consequence caused by a past mistake. |
| Let’s try one more, |
| If I hadn’t been late to the meeting, I would know what is going on. |
| Here, the if-clause is first: “If I hadn’t been late…”—a past perfect structure. The result clause is: “I would know what is going on,” using “would + base verb.” This matches the first pattern. The speaker missed something important because of a past action. |
| Another one. |
| I would be promoted now if I had worked harder last year. |
| This sentence starts with the result clause: “I would be promoted now,” showing what could be true in the present. Then it gives the condition: “if I had worked harder last year,” which is a past perfect clause. This fits the second pattern. A present situation is explained by a different decision that should have been made in the past. |
| One last example. |
| I would make the copies if I had found the copy paper. |
| The result comes first: “I would make the copies.” This is in the present tense with “would + base verb.” Then the if-clause: “if I had found the copy paper” uses the past perfect. This again fits the second pattern and shows that a current action is not happening because of something that didn’t happen earlier. |
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