The Weltchek Weekly

“He’s a friend of mine, but he missed his time,” Donald Trump said of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. “If he would have done it four years ago, he would have beaten Romney.”

The “it” obviously refers to the presidential run the governor didn’t make in 2012, so that is not the problem with his second sentence. In the first part of that statement, Mr. Trump incorrectly said would have instead of had, misusing a verb tense that stumps many people—actually, I don’t think most even know what they’re saying is wrong.

Trump should have said, “If he had done it four years ago, he would have beaten Romney” or, better yet, “If he had run four years ago, he would have beaten Romney.”

The verb tense—called “the unreal conditional in the past”—describes a hypothetical event that did not happen, but if it had happened, a hypothetical result would have ensued.

Had is the operative word.

When conditional sentences start with an “if” clause, always use had plus the past participle—never would have plus the past participle. Here are some examples.

Incorrect: If he would have prepared for the meeting, he would have won the business.
Correct: If he had prepared for the meeting, he would have won the business.

Incorrect: If we would have known you were coming to town, we would have canceled our other plans.
Correct: If we had known you were coming to town, we would have canceled our other plans.

Incorrect: If I wouldn’t have eaten the pint of ice cream, I would have fit into my skinny jeans for the party.
Correct: If I hadn’t eaten the pint of ice cream, I would have fit into my skinny jeans for the party.
Also correct: If I hadn’t eaten the pint of ice cream, I would have fit into my skinny jeans for the party—and I would still fit in them today.