What is the Difference Between Conditional and Subjunctive?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between the conditional and subjunctive moods lies in the type of situations they are used to express:
- Conditional: Conditional sentences are used to express real or unreal conditions, usually containing the word 'if'. They are used to describe situations that are possible, likely, or have some probability of happening. There are three main types of conditional sentences in English:
- Zero Conditional: Describes general truths or facts.
- First Conditional: Describes future possibilities.
- Second and Third Conditionals: Describe hypothetical situations in the present or past, respectively.
- Subjunctive: The subjunctive mood is used to express unreal situations, such as wishes, proposals, suggestions, or imagined scenarios. It is often used with modal verbs like "could," "would," and "might". Subjunctive sentences usually do not contain markers like 'if'.
In summary, while both conditional and subjunctive moods can be used with hypothetical situations or situations that have not yet taken place, the conditional mood is used to express real or unreal conditions, whereas the subjunctive mood is used to express unreal situations.
Comparative Table: Conditional vs Subjunctive
The main difference between conditional and subjunctive is that conditional sentences are used to express real or unreal conditions, while subjunctive sentences are used to express hypothetical, unrealistic states or situations. Here is a table comparing the two:
| Conditional | Subjunctive |
|---|---|
| Used to express real or unreal conditions. | Used to express hypothetical, unrealistic states or situations. |
| Contains two clauses: the main clause (consequence/result) and the dependent clause (condition). | Does not have specific markers like 'if'. |
| Includes different types, such as Type 1 (for real situations), Type 2 (for unlikely situations), and Type 3 (for impossible situations). | Has no specific types. |
For example:
- Conditional (Second Conditional): If the company were more profitable, they could expand into new markets.
- Subjunctive: The CEO wishes the business had invested in digital marketing to reach more customers.
In the English language, conditional sentences usually contain the word 'if', while subjunctive sentences do not have such markers. The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, proposals, suggestions, or imagined situations and is often followed by verbs such as 'suggest' and 'ask'.
- Subjunctive vs Indicative
- Should vs Would
- Objective vs Subjective
- Relative Clause vs Subordinate Clause
- Subject vs Object
- Subject vs Object Pronouns
- If vs Whether
- Imperative vs Interrogative Sentences
- Conjunction Coordinating Conjunction vs Subordinating Conjunction
- Noun vs Subject
- Does vs Is
- Should vs Ought To
- Should vs Could
- Should vs Must
- Can vs Should
- Will vs Would
- Modal vs Auxiliary Verbs
- Conscious vs Subconscious
- Main Clause vs Subordinate Clause