Como utilizar "unless"
"Unless" significa o mesmo que if + not. Assim como com o termo "if", "unless" é seguido por um verbo no presente, no passado ou no "past perfect" (ele nunca é seguido por um condicional). "Unless" é empregado em vez de if + not em orações condicionais de todos os tipos. A ordem dos elementos não importa nas orações que utilizam unless.
Condicional tipo 1: "Unless" + presente
| Com "If" | Equivalente com "Unless" |
|---|---|
| You will be sick if you don't stop eating. | You'll be sick unless you stop eating. |
| I won't pay if you don't provide the goods immediately. | I won't pay unless you provide the goods immediately. |
| If you don't study diligently, you'll never understand trigonometry. | Unless you study diligently, you'll never understand trigonometry. |
Condicional tipo 2: "Unless" + passado
| Com "If" | Equivalente com "Unless" |
|---|---|
| If he wasn't very ill, he would be at work. | Unless he was very ill, he would be at work. |
| I wouldn't eat that food if I wasn't really hungry. | I wouldn't eat that food unless I was really hungry. |
| She would be here by now if she wasn't stuck in traffic. | She would be here by now unless she was stuck in traffic. |
Condicional tipo 3: "Unless" + "past perfect"
| Com "If" | Equivalente com "Unless" |
|---|---|
| Our director would not have signed the contract if she hadn't had a lawyer present. | Our director would not have signed the contract unless she had had a lawyer present. |
| I wouldn't have phoned him if you hadn't suggested it. | I wouldn't have phoned him unless you'd suggested it. |
| They would have shot her if she hadn't given them the money. | They would have shot her unless she'd given them the money. |