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Unreal past: It’s time…, I’d rather you…, as if
C1 C1 grammar · lesson 16 of 16
Sometimes English uses a past tense to talk about the present or future. This ‘unreal past’ shows that a situation is imagined, wanted or not true.
The idea
You know from the second conditional and from wish (B2) that a past form can describe an unreal present: If I had more time…, I wish I knew. Several other expressions work in the same way. The past tense here does not mean past time – it means “not real” or “not yet happening”.
| Expression | Present / future meaning | Past meaning |
|---|---|---|
| It’s (high/about) time | It’s time we left. | – |
| would rather + other subject | I’d rather you didn’t smoke. | I’d rather you hadn’t told him. |
| as if / as though | He talks as if he owned the place. | She looked as if she had seen a ghost. |
| suppose / supposing / what if | Suppose you won the lottery… | What if we had missed the plane? |
It’s time…
It’s time + subject + past simple means “this should already be happening”. It often expresses criticism or impatience. High time and about time make it stronger. Compare with It’s time + to-infinitive, which is neutral.
It’s nearly midnight. It’s time the children were in bed.
It’s high time the city repaired this road.
It’s time to go. (neutral)
Would rather + another person
In the lesson on modal nuances you used would rather + base verb for your own preferences. When you talk about what you want another person to do, use would rather + subject + past simple (present/future) or past perfect (past).
I’d rather you came tomorrow, if that’s OK.
Ken’d rather we didn’t tell anyone yet.
I’d rather you hadn’t spent all the money.
As if / as though
Use a past form after as if / as though when the comparison is unreal or unlikely. If the situation may be true, a present form is possible: It looks as if it’s going to rain. In formal English, were is used for all persons: He acts as if he were the boss.
Lucy talks about Paris as if she lived there. (She doesn’t.)
Sam looked as though he hadn’t slept for days.
Common mistakes
✗ It’s time we go home.
✓ It’s time we went home.
✗ I’d rather you don’t call me at work.
✓ I’d rather you didn’t call me at work.
✗ He behaves as if he is the king. (he isn’t)
✓ He behaves as if he were the king.
✗ Suppose you lose your job – what would you do?
✓ Suppose you lost your job – what would you do?