Unsupported Browser

Ellii may not function properly in Internet Explorer. We recommend using Google Chrome or Firefox instead.

Unsupported Browser

Ellii may not function properly in older browsers. We recommend updating yours to the latest version for the best experience.

How to Use the Conditional "Should"

July 6, 2017

Is it easy to learn the conditional mood in English? If only!

After English students learn the four types of conditionals with if-clauses and figure out when to use each one, they are told that there are other words and patterns to indicate the conditional mood, such as unless, even if, and should.

Students often struggle with the conditional should (also called should-inversion) for a few reasons. First, the pattern differs from other conditional patterns, and second, the meaning is unrelated to should as a modal of advice. It is also quite formal, so students don’t come across it all that often.

But much like any grammar target in English, the conditional should can be explained and learned fairly painlessly using patterns and examples.

Meanings

Conditional should and modal should have very different meanings.

Students first learn that should is a modal of advice. The meaning of modal should is a suggestion.

  • You should pay attention in class.
    (I suggest that you pay attention in class.)

Conditional should means if and is used for hypothetical situations.

  • Should you need anything else, please call this number.
    (If you need anything else, please call this number.)

Patterns

Conditional should and modal should have different patterns in English.

Modal should follows the typical S-V-O sentence pattern:

subject + modal + base verb

Conditional should has inversion in the sentence, which means that the subject and verb are switched. This is confusing for students because although inversion is common in questions, it rarely occurs in sentences.

The pattern of a conditional should sentence is:

modal + subject + base verb

Function Type Example
Modal sentence She should study for tomorrow’s exam.
question Should we study for tomorrow’s exam?
Conditional sentence Should you call after hours, leave a message.
question Should I happen to call after hours, is it possible to leave a message?

The patterns for conditional if and should are fairly similar, but note that if-clauses follow normal tense conjugation patterns with -s, -ed, etc., whereas conditional should takes a base verb (as modals always do).

Word Type Example
If sentence If he calls, please answer right away.
question If he calls, can you please answer right away?
Should sentence Should he call, please answer right away.
question Should he call, can you please answer right away?

Examples & Usage

The conditional should is a formal expression that we don’t use in speaking too often. It is more common to see in written form, such as in guidelines or regulations, on signs, or in legal documents.

  • Should anything happen, call this number.
  • Should the computer lock you out, try resetting the password.
  • Should you fail to comply with these regulations, you will be banned from the organization.
  • Should we be unable to reach our goal, we will try again next year.

The conditional should is most often used in place of the zero or first conditional. Remind your learners that the zero conditional is used for true facts or repeated actions, and the main clause is formed with a simple present verb. The first conditional is used when an outcome is likely or possible, and the main clause is usually formed with will + base verb.

  • If no one answers, please call back tomorrow.
  • Should no one answer, please call back tomorrow.
  • If I pass the test, I will graduate.
  • Should I pass the test, I will graduate.

It is possible, though not common, to use the conditional should in place of the second conditional when an outcome is unlikely or impossible. The main clause is usually formed with would + base verb. Remind students that the verb following conditional should must be a base verb (not a past verb).

  • If I were rich, I would travel around the world.
  • Should I become rich, I would travel around the world.

Practice

Not an Ellii member?

Get unlimited access to 1,000+ lessons and 3,000+ flashcards.

Sign Up

Comments (60)

Paloma (Guest)

Thanks so much! Very clarifying!

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

You're welcome, Paloma! I'm happy to hear you found it useful.

Caleb (Guest)

I am a HUGE fan of this lesson, which rightly dispels misguided and condescending fear on the part of narrow minded ESL instructors of teaching the conditional Should with inversion. It is extremely common in literature, and since literature is a fundamental part of meaningful engagement in a language, training students to comprehend it, as well as the myriad contexts in which formal English is still the norm (legal contexts, advisory notices, official positions or simply formally disposed speech styles) opens doors to language learners and improves job prospects, since uses of such structures set aside the viable candidate from the passable one, especially in positions where public communication is integral to the role (even an administrative assistant must master these forms to advance pay grades). 100 thumbs up for the organization of the lesson...teaching should as a modal of advice first and then getting into conditional declarative uses. I will closely follow this scheme (though I'll substitute more colourful usage examples) in my own lessons on conditional structures.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Caleb,

Thanks a lot for your message! I'm happy to hear you found this post useful. I think that it's great to expose higher-level students to all the structures they will see in the language. Some teachers might just be wondering when the correct time to do so is (so as not to overwhelm lower-level students with complicated constructions that they won't see at those levels).

Caleb (Guest)

I was highly appreciative of this excellent lesson on the use of should as a conditional marker in conditional sentences using subject verb inversion.

All to often, ESL teachers exaggerate the difficulty of the use of were, should and had in SV inverted constructions of conditional sentences and, in my opinion, greatly underestimate the learning capacity of their students in so doing -- not to mention the consequences of closing doors of comprehension on a form that is ubiquitous in literary works, newspaper articles (NYT opeds frequently deploy advanced vocabulary and formal grammatical constructions), journals, legal documents, advisory notices from businesses to customers, employees or tenants, a large variety of professional communication in so standard a phrase as 'should you have any further concerns, do not hesitate to contact our offices, [hours of operation or contact info],' and last but not least, persons of a formal, academic or professional bent who regularly or in certain key settings deploy these structures in speech.

The particular organization of this lesson, firmly establishing the use of should as a modal of suggestion/advice/obligation before moving on to the conditional usage of should, is one I find particularly effective. I especially like the inclusion of interrogative (question) sentence examples and negative statements. In my own lessons on conditional sentences, I plan to follow this organization...though I can't decide if it would be good to group had, were and should together in a single unit on SV inversion in conditional sentences. Any advice on that idea would be appreciated.

I also think it's very important for higher level intermediate students, and adult learners trying to improve writing skills, to also learn the effect of register that the use of these forms has in relation to other constructions (such as non-inverted SV conditional sentences using 'if').

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Thanks again, Caleb. It's great to have a list of places that you'd commonly see the conditional should in context, so thank you for listing those in your second paragraph. I think adding had and were to the mix and teaching them alongside should (for conditional sentences with S-V inversion) is a great idea for higher-level students. I'm a firm believer in presenting related things at once so that students can see the bigger picture. In my experience, it provides a greater understanding of the patterns etc. (You'll see I advocate for presenting all four conditional 'if' patterns at once in my post on Conditionals: https://blog.ellii.com/2013/03/14/an-easy-way-to-teach-conditionals/). Thanks again for taking the time to comment! Best of luck with your lesson.

Craig Senior(Guest)

Although it is grammatically possible, for a conditional marker, I suggest using 'if' instead of 'should,' because 'if' is immediately understood as a conditional, whereas with 'should' the reader or listener doesn't know what was meant until the end of the clause after the comma. It requires a moment to process.

With oral consumption, we want the audience to understand, left-to-right, without having to retain or return to the start of the sentence to understand the intended meaning.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Craig,

I agree! The conditional should is quite formal and not heard very often. We should encourage our students to use 'if' when speaking and writing, though we do need to introduce the conditional should to higher-level learners in case they come across it.

Christian (Guest)

I call this the “just in case conditional” and it’s actually not so formal. My mother still uses it all the time:

“Should anything happen, I’ll be right here.”

“Should there be an emergency, call 911.”

It appears in children’s media.

“Should I die before I wake, I pray to God my soul to take.”

I remember it was in Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” at the very end.

“Should you need us…”

The magical creatures didn’t want to ‘just assume’ :)

This small difference between ‘if’ and ‘should’ can be the difference between kids being scared and feeling reassured.

That also goes for passengers aboard an aircraft:

“Should the aircraft land in water, follow the lights to the emergency exits.”

Using ‘if’ above really does sound scarier!

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Thanks for all of these great examples, Christian! I agree that for warnings, "if" makes the situation sound scarier than "should." "Should" makes it sound like "if this should happen (but it likely won't)" whereas "if" sounds like the chances could be 50/50.

Mariya (Guest)

Hi, Tanya!
Thank you for this lesson.
I have one question though. Is it right to use a conditional should in the second part of a sentence instead of first (as provided in examples above)? Namely, is the following sentence correct: 'Let me know should you have any questions'?
Many thanks!
Mariya

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Mariya,

Great question! I would say that using the conditional should in the second part of the sentence is best avoided because it's usually not common/correct. I wouldn't use 'should' with 'let me know,' for example. However, in some formal cases, it is possible (e.g., 'Please inform your manager should any problems arise.').

Elie C.(Teacher)

In accordance with what Mariya says, i have seen in a grammar book the following sentence :
"We were so happy that we should have liked to stay there for ever".

It's a french grammar book, there may be some mistakes. In your opinion is that sentence correct ? Is this perhaps a little old-fashioned ?

Also i've seen this other sentence, that seems even stranger to me :
"If you should need our help, you know that you can depend on us".

So "should" can also be used to form a subjunctive ? Maybe it is not so much used ? I've never seen that before.

Thanks a lot !
Elie.

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Hi Elie,

You've asked some great questions as well! The construction in your first example (We were so happy that we should have liked to stay there forever) is very old-fashioned. It is correct, but it's definitely not common nowadays. In that case, should + have + p.p. means "wish."

Your second example (If you should need our help, you know that you can depend on us) is not a form of the subjunctive—rather, it's combining an "if" clause with conditional "should." It's not necessary to include both, but it does emphasize the "if" meaning a bit. The meaning becomes more like "If you happen to need our help...". Also, it is a bit less formal than the conditional "should" alone.

For an easy comparison, here are all three ways (note that all the sentences have the same meaning, more or less):

  • Should you need our help... = very formal
  • If you should need our help... = formal, emphasized
  • If you need our help... = common

Lisa B.(Teacher)

Wonderful information!
Please consider putting this in an easy to print format. I would love to have this with me as a reference and I also would welcome using it with my advanced students. I work with adult English Language Learners who are either employed or looking for employment.

Reply to Comment

Tanya Trusler(Author)

Thanks, Lisa! If you're a subscriber, you can find a one-page printable chart with the information from this post here: https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2164

We love giving back to the ELT community, and that's why our blog is free and full of grammar explanations and fun activities. But we are a small company of hardworking, full-time employees, so we can't give it all away for free, unfortunately! You can access more than 1,000 lessons and resources and 3,000 flashcards for as little as $7/month. If you're interested, find out more here: https://ellii.com/pricing

Slamet Widodo(Guest)

Great lesson.
Conditional sentence is one of grammar horror in my student days back then. I'm an Indonesian and English isn't familiar for us compare to our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia.
Understanding conditional sentence needs higher level of culture understanding and it even getting worse should we incorporate the simplicity of conditional sentence in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language).

Regarding this, I want to ask you about the right way of constructing conditional sentence using should.

We can still enjoy our daily life should we be able to keep the enemy at bay.

Is the main claus and the conditional clause constructed rightly?
Should aforementioned example is not correct, what is the correct one for main clause and/or conditional clause?

Thank you very much.

Reply to Comment

Log In to Comment Reply

or
Comment Reply as a Guest
  • **bold**_italics_> quote

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Slamet, your sentence is correct! I agree that grammar targets that don't translate directly into one's native language are very difficult. This post and chart on conditionals might also help you: https://ellii.com/blog/an-easy-way-to-teach-conditionals

    Mehdi Roostaie(Guest)

    Very good,concise and useful explanation. Thank you.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thanks for the kind words, Mehdi!

    Melisa Peralta (Guest)

    Estoy realizando un trabajo y tengo algunas dudas.. podrán ayudarme por favor? 🙏
    Mi duda es por un condicional .. la oración es IF YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED ONE OR MORE OF THESE, THEN YOU SHOULD PERFORM FURTHER EVALUATION
    Qué tipo de modal es? 🙏

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Melisa,

    In your example sentence, the modal "should" is a modal of advice. Within a normal conditional sentence, it's possible to use a modal before one of the verbs to give it extra meaning. For example, I can say "If I go to the party, I will/might/could/should invite my sister."

    In your example, "should" is used to talk about something it would be a good idea to do (advice). It is not the conditional "should" (which means "if"). You can tell because with the conditional should, we would never say "if" in the same sentence.

    You can see more examples of modals of advice here: https://ellii.com/blog/suggestions-with-modals-of-advice-and-necessity-2

    Ricardo Barbosa(Guest)

    Would this phrase be a FIRST CONDITIONAL one?

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Ricardo, are you referring to the sentence in my reply to Melisa ("If I go to the party, I will/might/could/should invite my sister.")? The sentence is the first conditional, and "should" is a modal of advice here. Under Examples & Usage at the end of the blog post, you'll find examples of conditional should being used in the zero and first conditional (and, rarely, in the second conditional).

    El Ayoubi M.(Member)

    Thank you!

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    My pleasure!

    Rojin Mey(Guest)

    so clarifying!

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm happy to hear that, Rojin!

    Amritpal S.(Member)

    I really find your lesson effective and in a simple way
    Thanks a lot

    I would like to have more grammar lessons from you

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm glad this blog post was helpful! You can find posts on many more grammar targets by clicking on the Grammar & Usage tag at the top of any blog post.

    Nava Raj G.(Member)

    Very fruitful and solid tips relating to English grammar for non native English teachers. Hope further collaboration ahead.
    Thanks,
    Nava Raj ,
    Teacher of English in Nepal

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thanks for your comment, Nava!

    Nava Raj G.(Member)

    It is a great pleasure for me to be member of ESL library. Hope to get support with learning reference materials ahead. As I am a teacher of English in Nepal, I want to learn comparative Grammar between English and Nepali language if possible.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    We're so happy to hear you're enjoying your subscription to ESL Library, Nava! Comparing the grammar of an L1 and L2 is definitely useful. I've studied a few languages, and when I taught learners in those languages, it was helpful when I could point out the differences between the languages from that perspective. Your students are lucky you've also studied English and can compare it in that way to Nepali language!

    Elena Blag(Guest)

    do do we get to keep the Continuous element?
    how about this one?
    if she is working late tonight, i will pick up the kids----
    Should she be working late tonight, ....

    and what about perfect:

    if he has finished the book, he ll give it to you
    should he have finished the book, he ll give ...

    cos those features kida change the meaning, we cant just turn them into Simple

    Should she work,

    Should he finish..

    can we?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Great questions, Elena! After the conditional should, we can only use a base verb (which is the case with any expression involving a modal in the present or future tense). In your examples above, you can use "Should she work..." and "Should he finish..."

    You're also correct that you will lose a bit of extra meaning by doing this. If it's important to distinguish that the tense is continuing or finished, you should use "if" with the appropriate progressive or perfect tense instead of the conditional should.

    Ahmed Harb(Guest)

    Can we use then with should? like...
    If we protect the oceans, then the living beings there will survive.
    Should we protect the oceans, then the living beings there will survive.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Ahmed, that's a very good question. "If/then" statements are very common, but to me, using "then" with the conditional "should" doesn't sound natural at all. "Should we protect the oceans, the living beings there will survive" sounds much better (without "then").

    Mishy Mish(Guest)

    What about,
    “You should not eat spaghetti, if you do not want indigestion.”

    And

    “If you don’t want indegestion, you should eat healthier”

    How could that be written in conditional form? Thank you for your help.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Mishy Mish, those are already typical conditional sentences. For a hypothetical situation (i.e., the conditional), you can use the pattern "if + present, will + base verb" (see more in this post: https://ellii.com/blog/an-easy-way-to-teach-conditionals). But "will" isn't the only modal you can use. "If + will" is used to show something that is likely to happen in the future. Other modals can replace it, however, if you want another layer of meaning. You can use "if + should/had better" for advice as in your example, or "if + might/may/could" to show possibility, etc.

    To give advice, you can say:
    "You should not/had better not eat spaghetti if you do not want indigestion."
    and
    "If you don't want indigestion, you should/had better eat healthier food."

    If you want to use the conditional should (which doesn't mean advice—it means "if" and states a fact), you could say "Should you not want indigestion, eat healthier food." Note that this sounds more formal than your examples above that use "should" as a modal of advice. Hope that helps!

    Seb Marquin(Guest)

    Is it okay to say:

    Should you BE LOOKING for information, call my number...

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Seb, yes, it's correct to say it that way ("should you be looking").

    Luo Roger(Guest)

    good

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Thanks, Luo!

    Parinaz Entezam(Guest)

    Could we use inversion with passive grammar?
    For instance, should they could be increased, people might accept them

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Great question, Parinaz! The answer is yes, you can use the passive with the conditional should, and there would be the usual inversion (i.e., instead of subject + modal + be + p.p., you would need modal + subject + be + p.p.). Your example sentence would be: "Should they be increased, people might accept them."

    Another example is: "Should the tourists be driven to the airport more than three hours before their flights, you will have to direct them to this special waiting area."

    Note that you can't use another modal with the conditional should. We can't say "Should they could be increased..." (passive) or "Should you could need something..." (active). This is different from the first, second, and third conditional with "if." In a sentence with "if," you can use a modal if you want the added modal meaning. For example, you can say "If it could be done..." (passive) or "If you could do it..." (active) if you wanted to include a modal of possibility like "could."

    Zahra B(Guest)

    Hi dear Tanya
    My teacher told: if there are "were, should, had" in a sentence, this sentences can have inversion with reducing if at the beginning. For example: if you should go school, I will take u there
    Should you go to school, I will take you there
    Was he right or not?
    Thank u

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Zahra, your teacher was right about most sentences with "if" being able to invert with "should" since "should" means "if" in this sense.

    For example, If he won the lottey, he would buy a mansion. = Should he win the lottery, he would buy a mansion.

    Were/should/had can often be reduced, but it wouldn't work with every tense. For example, we can use the third conditional and reduce it: If you had taken the test, you would've passed. > Had you taken the test, you would've passed, but it doesn't sound great using the second conditional. For example, "If she had a dog, she would walk it every day" is fine, but "Had she a dog, she would walk it every day" is incorrect.

    Your example with school is okay, but it'd be more natural to say "If you should decide to go to school, I will take you there. / Should you decide to go to school, I will take you there."

    Preethi S.(Member)

    A very clear and elaborate explanation. Thank you.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    You're welcome, Preethi! I'm happy to hear it was helpful.

    Maggie Prior(Guest)

    I have occasionally heard shouldn’t used where I would expect to hear wouldn’t eg. “I should want to swim if the water is cold”. Those I have heard use this form have been privately educated in 1the 1950’s and 60’s. Is this an outdated usage?

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Maggie, in North American English, this usage sounds outdated and too formal. But I believe it's still common in the UK. British English speakers, please correct me if I'm wrong.

    eli avn(Guest)

    Thank U
    it was really helpful

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    That's great to hear, Eli. Great name too, by the way! ;)

    Arturo Juarez(Guest)

    Great explanation! Thanks for sharing.

    Is it possible to use "should + base verb" in hypotetic situations?

    --> If I should be rich, I'd travel around the world

    instead of

    --> If I were rich, I'd travel around the world

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Hi Arturo, great question! The answer is yes, you can use "should" in a hypothetical (conditional) situation, but "should" replaces "if" in that case. For example, you can say:
    Should I need extra help, I will ask my teacher after class.
    instead of:
    If I need extra help, I will ask my teacher after class.

    Note that "should" isn't common with the "be" verb in a hypothetical situation, so it's best to use another base verb. Also, "should" is possible in the zero (present verb) or first conditional (will + base verb), but it's not often used in the second (like your example) or third conditional.

    Adrian Cuad.(Guest)

    This reminds me of something similar that happens with "please":
    * Please take a seat
    * Do as you please

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    Great comparison! "Please" as a verb is definitely more formal, like the conditional should. One difference is that those two uses of "please" are different parts of speech whereas the two uses of "should" have the same part of speech.

    Veer Dhillon(Guest)

    These examples are very useful.

    Reply to Comment

    Tanya Trusler(Author)

    I'm happy to hear that!

    Leave a Comment

    Log In to Comment Reply

    or
    Comment Reply as a Guest
  • **bold**_italics_> quote

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    Thinking of joining Ellii?

    Complete this form to create an account and stay up to date on all the happenings here at Ellii.