How to use Conditional I?

[david copp]

Test No. errors/inter-9 "Conditionals", question 5

Will you come to dinner with us if we had found a babysitter for you?

(a) Will
(b) if
(c) had found

Test No. errors/inter-9 "Conditionals", answer 5

Will you come to dinner with us if we find a babysitter for you?

Correct entry: find
The error was: (c) had found
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because? Please more explanation.

david copp

[Alan]

Hi,

This is the so-called first conditional, which is future and present tenses as in:

If I win the lottery (present), I shall/will buy a new house (future).

Alan
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[Torsten]

Hi David,

In addition to Alan's explanation you might want to take a look here:
Conditional Tense I

TOEIC listening, talks: Giving a weather update and forecast on a private radio station

[Violino]

Could that sentence looks like this: Would you have come to dinner with us if we had found a babysitter for you?

I know the test doesn't allow change 'will' to 'would have come' and it's not I Conditional, but besides it would be correct, wouldn't it?

[Stew.t.]

Hi Violino

In the first example the sentence is talking about the future, the second example sentence you give is talking about the past, so to clarify:

Will you come to dinner with us (next Saturday) if we find you a baby sitter?

Would you have come to dinner with us ( last Saturday) if we had found a babysitter for you?

So the time frame, what you are refering to is different in the two examples.
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