The if clause of a conditional can be used to express politeness. It can be combined with modal verbs to indicate that a statement is not imposed. It can be used with will, with can or could, or with may or might to indicate possibility. For example:

• Tell him to come in, if he would.
• Bring the first draft of your paper next class, if you can.
• I'd like to use your computer, if I may.

Some expressions in the conditional are also used to express politeness. These expressions are used to indicate that there is no intention in imposing on someone's time or schedule. Some of these expressions are:

• If you have time,
• If you are not busy,
• If that's ok,
• If you don't mind,

Speaking Sarcastically

Sometimes a conditional statement can be used to express something that must not be taken in the literal sense. For example:

• If you are strong, I'm Superman.
• If your car is fast, my car is a rocket.

There is a special category called "Tautologisms" . Here the same words are used in both clauses of a conditional. The "if" clause must always be at the beginning to keep the meaning of humour or sarcasm. For example:

• Don't say anything! If you're late, you're late.
• Don't lie to the mirror! If you like eating, you like eating.

Expressing Uncertainty

The conditional can be used by a speaker when he or she does not want to accept a situation or is not sure about something. For example:

• If you take the fist dive, I will too.
• If they call me, I'll go to the party.

Making Excuses

Sometimes a speaker does not want to admit he or she is wrong and uses the conditional to make his statement seem like a reasonable excuse. For example:

• If I had know you were coming earlier, I would have cooked dinner.
• If the bus had passed on time, I wouldn't have been late.

Quick Reference Chart

The uses of conditionals in spoken language that are not very likely to appear in written language usually fit in one of the following categories: