Using the past form to describe the present or future

In English, the past tense is typically used to describe something that happened in the past.

Example:

Jane: What did you do yesterday?
(Question about the past)

Possible answers:

I washed my car.

I made a pizza.

However, there are situations where we use the past tense to describe the present or future. In this lesson, you will learn about 5 such situations:

• Second conditionals
• Suggestions with “suppose”
• The structure “It’s time…”
• “Would rather”
• Distancing in questions

Let’s explore each of these in more detail.

Second conditionals

The second conditional is used to describe an imaginary, impossible, or unlikely situation in the present or future.

Example:

If I had a lot of money, I would buy a boat.

Meaning and explanation:

The past tense in the second conditional indicates a hypothetical situation, not past time.

More examples:

If she studied, she would pass the exam.

If he washed the dishes, his mother would be pleased.

In both sentences, the past tense refers to the present or future.

Suggestions with “suppose”

We use “suppose” in the imperative to make a suggestion, often for uncertain plans in the future.

Examples:

Suppose we moved to New York?

Suppose we had a glass of wine?

The structure “It’s time…”

Form: It’s time + subject + past tense
Meaning: It’s time for someone to do something (present or future).

Examples:

She’s tired. It’s time she went to bed.

Your shoes are dirty. It’s time you washed them.

“Would rather”

Form: subject + would rather + subject + past tense
Meaning: would prefer someone to do something (present or future).

Examples:

Mark: Do you want to go to Paris with me on Sunday?
Jane: I would rather we went on Saturday.

Child: Can I play in the living room?
Mother: I would rather you played in the garden.

Distancing in questions and requests

Using the past tense in questions and requests can make them more polite by creating a sense of distance from the present reality.

Example structure: “Did you want?”

Meaning: “Do you want?”

Example sentences:

Waiter: Did you want a glass of wine with your meal, madam?

Receptionist: Did you want a single or double room, sir?

Example structure: “I wondered..”

Example sentences:

I wondered if you were free tomorrow.

I wondered if you wanted to go shopping.

Using the past continuous

We can also use the past continuous to soften questions and requests, even though the form is past, the meaning is present.

Example sentence:

(In a clothes shop)
Were you looking for a particular color, sir?

Watch this lesson on Youtube