📅 Created: 24 May, 2023
🔄 Updated: 04 Dec, 2025

I don't know the answer. If I- the answer, I'd tell you ?

Explanation

āĻĒā§āϰāĻļā§āύāϟāĻŋāϕ⧇ English-āĻāϰ grammar-āĻāϰ āĻĻ⧃āĻˇā§āϟāĻŋāĻ­āĻ™ā§āĻ—āĻŋ āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇ āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āϞ⧇ āĻŦ⧁āĻāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇ āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ Second Conditional sentence, āϝāĻž āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻšā§Ÿ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤāĻŽāĻžāύ āĻŦāĻž āĻ­āĻŦāĻŋāĻˇā§āϝāϤ⧇āϰ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ•āĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻĒāύāĻŋāĻ• (hypothetical) āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋāϤāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰāĻ•āĻžāĻļ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇āĨ¤ Second Conditional-āĻāϰ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ Structure:

If + past simple, â€Ļ would + verb (base form)

āĻāĻŦāĻžāϰ āφāĻŽāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻŦāĻžāĻ•ā§āϝ:
“I don’t know the answer. If I ___ the answer, I’d tell you.”

ā§§) āϕ⧇āύ “knew” āχ āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ•?
- āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤāĻŽāĻžāύ⧇āĻ“ āϏāĻ¤ā§āϝāĻŋ-answer āύāĻž-āϜāĻžāύāĻžāϰ āĻ…āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻž, āϤāĻžāχ āĻ­āĻŦāĻŋāĻˇā§āϝāϤ⧇ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤāĻŽāĻžāύ⧇ āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻĒā§āύāĻŋāϞ/āĻ•āĻ˛ā§āĻĒāύāĻžāĻĒā§āϰāϏ⧂āϤ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋāϤāĻŋ āĻŦā§‹āĻāĻžāϤ⧇ āĻšāϞ⧇ If-clause-āĻ past simple āϰāĻžāĻ–āϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇āĨ¤
- “knew” āĻšāϞ⧋ know-āĻāϰ past simple āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĨ¤ āϤāĻžāχ “If I knew the answer” āĻŽāĻžāύ⧇ “āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰāϟāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāϤāĻžāĻŽ, â€Ļ”

⧍) āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϝ⧇āϏāĻŦ āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻŽ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž āϝāĻžā§Ÿ āύāĻž āϤāĻžāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ:
- know: āĻāϟāĻŋ present simple, āϤāĻžāχ hypothetical āĻŦā§‹āĻāĻžā§Ÿ āύāĻžāĨ¤
- would know: if-clause-āĻ āĻĻā§‚āώāĻŋāϤ āĻšāĻŦ⧇, āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ would āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāϤ main clause-āĻ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšā§ƒāϤ āĻšā§ŸāĨ¤
- have known: perfect aspect, āϝ⧇āĻšā§‡āϤ⧁ āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻļ⧁āϧ⧁ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ āĻ•āĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻĒāύāĻŋāĻ• āĻ­āĻžāĻŦāύ⧇āϰ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§Ÿā§‹āϜāύ, āĻ…āϤāĻŋāϰāĻŋāĻ•ā§āϤ perfect form āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻŦāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāύāĻž āϏ⧃āĻˇā§āϟāĻŋ āĻ•āϰ⧇āĨ¤

ā§Š) āĻŦāĻžāĻ•ā§āϝāϟāĻŋ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āĻ•āϰāϞ⧇:
“If I knew the answer, I’d tell you.”
āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ “I’d” āĻšāϞ⧋ “I would” āĻāϰ āϏāĻ‚āĻ•ā§āώāĻŋāĻĒā§āϤ āϰ⧂āĻĒ, āϝāĻž āĻāχ āĻ•āĻ˛ā§āĻĒāĻŋāϤ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋāϤāĻŋāϤ⧇ “āφāĻŽāĻŋ āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻŦāϞāϤāĻžāĻŽâ€ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨ āĻĒā§āϰāĻ•āĻžāĻļ āĻ•āϰāϛ⧇āĨ¤

ā§Ē) āφāϰāĻ“ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖ (Second Conditional)
- If she spoke French, she would work in Paris.
- If we had more time, we would visit the museum.

ā§Ģ) Key Points
- āϕ⧋āύ āĻ­ā§Ÿā§‡āϜ āĻŦāĻž āϏāĻ¤ā§āϝ āϘāϟāύāĻž āύ⧟, āϕ⧇āĻŦāϞ āĻ•āĻ˛ā§āĻĒāύāĻžāϰ āĻ•āĻĨāĻž āĻŦāϞāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝāĨ¤
- If-clause past simple, main clause would + base formāĨ¤

Summary:
āĻāχ āĻŦāĻžāĻ•ā§āϝ⧇ “If I knew the answer, I’d tell you” āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ Second Conditional sentence, āϝ⧇āĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ If-clause-āĻ past simple (“knew”) āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ main clause-āĻ would + verb āχ āϝāĻĨāĻžāϝāĻĨāĨ¤ “knew” āĻ›āĻžā§œāĻž āφāϰ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻĢāĻ°ā§āĻŽ (present simple, would know, have known) āĻāχ āĻ•āĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻĒāύāĻŋāĻ• āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĨ āĻ āĻŋāĻ•āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻŦāĻšāύ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇ āύāĻžāĨ¤