grammar - Which tense after 'would I... if.... ?'


I am struggling on a sentence here. Let me show u what I come up with;


Would I fail if I won't study?

In this sentence I am trying to indicate a possibility but I am not sure if I use this part correct : if I won't study


which tense should I be using there?



Answer



The sentence you're looking for is:



Will I fail if I don't study?



The if-clause in English takes an ordinary present-tense verb in this construction. This is a present conditional, which indication a condition about a present or future action.


You could also write this:



Would I fail if I didn't study?



This indicates a hypothetical condition. If you actually want to indicate a counter-factual condition about a past event, you need to use the perfect:



Would I have failed if I hadn't studied?



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