We sometimes use not unless to mean only if, often as an answer to a question, for example:
“Do we have to bring food to the party?” → “Not unless we were asked to.”
“Can I ride in the front?” → “Not unless you are 14 or older.”
English Articles
How to form conditional sentences without ‘if’?
By: Anna Classing Thu Sep 12 2024
There are several ways to form conditional sentences without using the word if, including:
Using other conjunctions of condition (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as, supposing (that), in case, and others):
I will bring the food, as long as you bring the drinks.
= I will bring the food if you bring the drinks.Using imperatives:
Bring the drinks and I’ll bring the food.
= If you bring the drinks, I’ll bring the food.Using inversion:
Should you bring the drinks, I’ll bring the food.
= If you bring the drinks, I’ll bring the food.
Each of these alternatives to if is slightly different in meaning and use. You can use these alternative forms of conditional sentences to refine your meaning and to vary your writing. In this post, I’ll walk you through all the different ways of expressing conditions without if. Follow me!
Table of Contents
What are conditional sentences?
As you might remember, conditionals are the type of sentences that describe how one situation depends on another, for example:
If you do the dishes, then I will make dinner.
A conditional sentence usually consists of two parts:
the if clause (or conditional clause) → If you do the dishes…
the then clause (or result / main clause) → …(then) I will make dinner
There are several types of conditionals in English. In our post on the use of conditionals in English, we split them into four types, but in this post it’s most important to know the difference between “real” and “unreal” conditionals:
“Real” conditionals – there is a good chance that the condition will actually happen.
If it rains, people get wet.
If it rains, then he will get wet.
“Unreal” conditionals – there is little or no possibility that the condition will be met (the situation is imaginary)
If it were to rain, he would get wet.
If it had rained, he would have gotten wet.
If you want to get the most out of this post, we suggest that you briefly review this chart of the the types of English conditionals before reading on.
What are the conjunctions of condition in English?
In English, the main conjunctions of condition are if, unless, when, so long as, and in case. Each one has a slightly different meaning, but all conjunctions of condition introduce a situation that results in some particular outcome.
The most basic and general conjunction of condition in English is if, and we covered this conjunction in-depth in our post on English conditional sentences. But let’s take a look at some of the other conjunctions of condition – when to use them, what they mean, and the grammar rules to employ when you use them.
How to use ‘unless’ in English conditionals?
Unless is negative – it removes or subtracts a situation from the conditions that will lead to the result. Therefore unless is used when you want to say that something will happen under the condition that something else does not happen.
A sentence with unless always has:
an expectation, which will usually happen (= the result clause)
an exception, which is a case when the result will not happen (= the conditional clause)
For example:
expectationexception
I will order Chinese unless you want something else.
Unless can almost always be replaced with but if… then not. For example:
We will show you more dresses unless you are happy with this one.
= We will show you more dresses, but if you are happy with this one, we won’t.
Unless is used only with “real” conditions, that is, when there is a real chance for the condition to be fulfilled. Compare:
- Real conditional:
✅ We will start at 3 pm if you are not late.
✅ We will start at 3 pm unless you are late. - Unreal conditional:
✅ We would have started at 3 pm if you had not been late
❌ We would have started at 3 pm unless you had been late.
Exception!
There are two situations when we often use unless:
when the conditional clause has other negative elements, for example:
negative wordI’m going to paint the walls blue unless you really do not like that color.
in afterthoughts:
We will have to close the factory due to the lack of demand — unless a miracle happens and we find another major customer in the next few days.
‘Provided (that)’ / ‘providing’ / ‘on condition that’
Provided (that), providing, and on condition that are all more formal ways to say if or only if.
We will lend you $1000, provided (that) you pay back within a month.
I’ll give you $1000, providing you pay it all back in a month.
They will sign the contract on condition that it’s confidential.
All three are used only in “real” conditionals in a situation where we expect that the condition will be met.
Provided (that) is more common and also slightly more formal.
Providing is mostly used in speaking, and can rarely be followed by that.
On (the) condition that is also formal and sounds a bit legal.
‘So long as’ / ‘as long as’
So long as and as long as are mostly synonyms ofif.
You can let off fireworks as long as it’s far enough from the houses.
Fireworks displays are permitted on the premises so long as they are further than 20 yards from any building.
These two are also used only in “real” conditional sentences where we expect that the condition really will be met.
So long as is more formal and common in writing.
As long as is used more common, especially in spoken language
‘Supposing’ / ‘assuming’
Supposing and assuming can both be followed by the word that and are all used only with imaginary situations. We mostly use them when we are asking someone to speculate about something or to make an assumption or a tentative proposal. The main clause is usually a question, for example:
Supposing you brought a tent, who would be able to bring sleeping bags?
Assuming that you are telling the truth, how are we going to prove it?
Tip
You can use suppose a lot like supposing, but suppose generally is part of a separate sentence:
Suppose you ran a restaurant. What kind of food would you serve?
Notice that this is actually a conditional formed with an imperative!
‘When’ / ‘once’
Technically these are conjunctions of time, but they can be very close in meaning to if, especially when we are sure the condition or future situation will happen.
When you meet her, you’ll like her.
Once you find a remote job, you will realize how convenient it is.
‘In case’ / ‘in the event that’
In case can also be a synonym to if in spoken language, especially when the condition is really unlikely to become true, for example:
In case you accidentally lock yourself in, press this red button to set off the alarm.
In very formal documents, the conjunction in the (unlikely) event that is used instead of in case meaning if:
In the event that the Buyer fails to make payment, the foregoing provision shall not apply.
Tip
In case is more commonly used when something should be done in advance to be sure that something bad does not happen.
I’ll bring some donuts in case we finish work late again.
You can learn more about this meaning of in case from the post on conjunctions of reason, purpose and result.
Can you express a conditional without a conjunction?
There are two ways to talk about conditions and results without conjunctions of condition, like if or unless: by using an imperativeNo definition set for imperativeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or by using an inverted word order. Let’s look at each of these methods.
How to create a conditional using an imperative?
You can use imperative instead of if + present simple with pretty much the same meaning:
ImperativePresent simple
Put on jeans and a T-shirt, and you’ll fit right in.
= If you put on jeans and a T-shirt, you’ll fit right in.
Put on jeans and a T-shirt, or / or else / otherwise you’ll be overdressed.
= If you don't put on jeans and a T-shirt, you’ll be overdressed.
Note that when you use an imperative as a condition, the main clause can start either with and or with or / or else / otherwise.
When the main clause starts with and you can just replace the imperative with an if statement:
Add this spice, and the taste will be much better.
= if you add this spice...Forget this spice, and the taste will be bland.
= If you don’t add this spice…
When the main clause starts with or / or else / otherwise, then:
a positive command becomes a negative condition:
Add this spice, otherwise the taste will be bland.
= If you don’t add this spice, then the taste will be bland.a negative command becomes a positive condition:
Don’t add this spice, or the dish will smell too strong.
= If you add this spice, then the dish will smell too strong.
Tip
If someone says just “or else!” by itself, it’s not a good sign — it means this person is trying to threaten you! For example:
Steer clear of any fights, or else!
Don’t call the police, or else!
You'd rather not find out, right? 😱
How to form conditional sentences using inversion?
It is possible to use inversion in third conditional sentences that talk about an imaginary result of an imaginary past situation. The typical structure of a third conditional is:
if + past perfect
would have + past participle
If Julia had paid attention in class, she would have passed the test yesterday.
→ In reality, Julia didn’t pay attention in class, and failed the test yesterday!
But you can change up this structure and use “inverted word order” in the conditional clause instead of if. To make an inverted sentence, you need to make these changes:
if
subject
auxiliary
verb form
becomes
auxiliary
subject
verb form
Had she passed the test, she would’ve earned the certificate.
→ If she had passed the test, she would’ve earned the certificate.
I wouldn’t have complained, had it been right.
→ If she had passed the test, she would’ve earned the certificate.
This way of forming conditionals is a bit old-fashioned, but you will see it in most types of writing (especially fiction) and you may also hear it in speech.
There are a few special cases where other kinds of conditionals can be inverted too.
Type of conditional | Example with if | Inverted example |
|---|---|---|
1st conditional | If I should be late, start without me. | Should I be late, start without me. |
2nd conditional | If he were to sell his land, it would be worth a fortune. | Were he to sell his land, it would be worth a fortune. |
Conclusion
Although using if is the most common and versatile way to introduce a condition, there are others too:
Conjunctions of condition, such as once, supposing, so long as, on condition that, etc.
Imperatives in “real” conditionals
Inversion in “unreal” conditionals
If you feel ready, try out all these different ways to express conditionals!
