The Subjunctive mood may be used in simple sentences; of unreal wish and in complex sentences.
In simple sentences:
If it were not so dark! - !
If only I knew it for sure! !
If only I had told her the truth! - !
In complex sentences:
1) in subordinate clauses of unreal condition which are usually introduced by the conjunction "if (the use of tenses is absolute in this case: when reference is made to the present or future the Present Subjunctive and the Present Conditional are used; when reference is made to the past the Past Subjunctive and the Past Conditional are used):
If I had more time I should learn French.
Note 1: The modal verbs "can" and "may" have no special forms for the Conditional mood. They have only one form of the oblique mood - the form of the Subjunctive mood present:
If he came now he could help us.
could help - the Present Subjunctive mood of the modal verb "can" and the indefinite infinitive of the verb "to help"
If the whole situation refers to the past the perfect Infinitive is used:
If he had come yesterday he could have helped us.
could have helped - the Present Subjunctive mood of the modal verb "can" and the perfect infinitive of the verb "to help"
could/might do it () (to the present or future)
could/might have done it () (to the past)
Note 2: The conjunction "if " may be omitted and the inversion is used:
a) for the Present Subjunctive with the verbs "be", "have" and modal verbs:
If she were here she would help us. Were she here she would help us.
If I could swim I should go to the river with you. Could I swim I should go...
If we had time we should go to the cinema. Had we time we should go...
b) for the Past Subjunctive it isalso possible:
If we had known about it yesterday we should have informed you.
Had we known about it yesterday we...
Note 3: The unreal condition can also be expressed by the phrase " but for + a noun/a pronoun"
But for the rain (if it were not for the rain) they would go to the country.
But for the rain (If it had not been for the rain) they would have gone to the country.
"But for" in rendered in Russian as " c ".
2) In subordinate clauses of concession introduced by "even if", "even though" (the use of tenses is absolute in this case):
Even if you were right I shouldn't defend you.
Even if (even though) he had come he wouldn't have helped us.
...
3) in object clauses after the verb "to wish" the Present Subjunctive or the Past Subjunctive may be used to express a wish which cannot be fulfilled or a hardly realizable wish
I wish it were true.
I wish you had asked me anything but this.
The use of tenses is relative in this case:
a) If the action of the subordinate clause is simultaneous with the action of the principal clause the Present Subjunctive is used:
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I wish he were with us. - , .
I wished he were with us. - , .
I wished I knew it for sure.
b) If the action of the subordinate clause precedes the action of the principal clause the Past Subjunctive is used:
I wish you had stay ed at home. - , .
I wished you had stayed at home. - ,
.
c) If the action of the subordinate clause follows the action of the principal clause the Present Subjunctive is used:
I wish/ I shall wish/ I wished you got there in good time.
To make the sentence more emphatic one can use " would + an infinitive" after an expression of wish, but only if the subjects in both clauses are different and if the wish refers to the present or to the future.
I wish/ I shall wish/ I wished he would (not) do it.
Note 1: When the verb in the object clause isaffirmative in English it is negative in Russian and vice versa.
I wish I had told him the truth. - , .
I wish I had not told him the truth. - , .
4) in subordinate clauses of unreal comparison introduced by the conjunctions "as if, "as though" the Present Subjunctive or the Past Subjunctive may be used. The use of tenses is relative in this case:
a) If the action of the subordinate clause is simultaneous with the action of the principal clause the Present Subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause:
The house is so quiet as if there were nobody there. - , .
The house was so quiet as if there were nobody there. - , .
Her eyes are (were) sparkling as though she were laughing at us. - (), () .
b) If the action of the subordinate clause precedes the action of the principal clause the Past Subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause:
Our life goes o n as if nothing had happened. - , .
Our life went on as if nothing had happened. - , .
Our life will go on as if nothing had happened. - , .
She is breat hing deep as if (as though) she had been running. , .
She was breathing deep as if (as though) she had been running. - , .
c) If the action of the subordinate clause follows t he action of the principal clause "would + an infinitive" is used:
He moved towards me as though he would strike me. - , .
Note 1: Clauses introduced by "as if'", "as though" are treated as predicative clauses when they follow the verbs "to look", "to feel", "to sound", "to seem", "to be":
She looks as if she were ill.
She looks as if she had been ill for a long time.
She looked as if she would cry.
He felt as if he didnt know her.
It will be as if nothing had happened.
5) in attributive clauses after the phrases "It is time...", "It is high time..." only the Present Subjunctive is used:
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It is/was time smb did smth.
It is time we had lunch.
It was time we bad lunch.
