# Present conditional with modal verbs



## Tlia

I would like to ask if there are only two ways of translating the following sentence in Greek: "I should go to Rome next Friday, but I won't". I was told I can only translate it as έπρεπε να πάω στη Ρώμη.... or  θα έπρεπε να είχα πάει....That puzzled me because I'd translate these two Greek sentences as "I should have gone".


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## forever_young

"θα επρεπε να ειχα παει" is wrong cause we refer to something that will or will not happen in the future, if the sentence was about "last friday" and not "next friday" then it would be correct. The actual translation you're looking for is " θα πρεπει να παω......"
As for the one "θα επρεπε να παω" you can as well hear it as many people use it, but i don't think it's equally correct to use it in writting, i would like to see what others think though


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## Tlia

Thanks a lot for answering my question! I still have doubts though as I thought the sentence θα πρέπει να πάω could be translated as "I will have to go"! Thanks a lot, again!


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## cougr

Tlia said:


> ..... . I thought the sentence θα πρέπει να πάω could be translated as "I will have to go"! Thanks a lot, again!



That is correct, however the same phrase (ie. _θα πρέπει να πάω_) can also be rendered as "I should go". It's the overall context that ultimately differentiates its meaning._ Θα  έπρεπε να πάω_ is another option that is sometimes used to express "I should go" but not _  θα έπρεπε να είχα πάει _ (as has been previously pointed out by "forever young" above).


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## Tlia

Thanks a lot! That really helped me! I wonder why the phrase θα πρέπει να πάω is more used than θα έπρεπε να πάω to render the present conditional, in other words I wonder if they are both correct!


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## forever_young

Tlia said:


> Thanks a lot! That really helped me! I wonder why the phrase θα πρέπει να πάω is more used than θα έπρεπε να πάω to render the present conditional, in other words I wonder if they are both correct!



''θα πρεπει να παω'' is with the correct tense used , as we are talking about an action in the future. ''θα επρεπε να παω'' is more like wondering , thinking that you basically should do something, i guess you can think of it as a ''it would be better to go'' kind of thing..
I guess you're thinking of the two options used in English (''*should have* gone''-past, ''should *go*''-future) and that's what confuses you probably.
That case is like combining the words '' *should, have, go*'' but they can't be used like that to write it in English.. I hope i helped you understand a bit more now

**i should also add that you can hear "Θα επρεπε να παω" both for past or future things. ''Θα επρεπε να παω αλλα δεν πηγα'' , ''Θα επρεπε να παω αλλα δε θα παω''.
The second one is what we are talking about though. The first one has the same meaning with ''should have gone''


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## ireney

Let me apologize first for the lack of terminology etc. Just woke up (long story).

"Θα έπρεπε" is not wrong really. It's like the second, I think, type of conditional sentences in English. Mind you, since it seems that each language codifies conditional sentences a different way I don't know how much this helps. It's like saying "Theoretically, I should go".


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## Akritas

forever_young said:


> ''θα πρεπει να παω'' is with the correct tense used , as we are talking about an action in the future. ''θα επρεπε να παω'' is more like wondering , thinking that you basically should do something, i guess you can think of it as a ''it would be better to go'' kind of thing..
> I guess you're thinking of the two options used in English (''*should have* gone''-past, ''should *go*''-future) and that's what confuses you probably.
> That case is like combining the words '' *should, have, go*'' but they can't be used like that to write it in English.. I hope i helped you understand a bit more now
> 
> **i should also add that you can hear "Θα επρεπε να παω" both for past or future things. ''Θα επρεπε να παω αλλα δεν πηγα'' , ''Θα επρεπε να παω αλλα δε θα παω''.
> The second one is what we are talking about though. The first one has the same meaning with ''should have gone''


 

I have an objection. I don't think that 'θα έπρεπε να πάω αλλά δεν πήγα' is correct. It refers to an action that began and ended in the past, therefore the correct way should be 'θα έπρεπε να είχα πάει αλλά δεν πήγα' (I should have gone but I didn't). If however the action began in the past and is ongoing then we use 'θα έπρεπε να πάω αλλά δεν θα πάω' (I should go but I will not).


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## Tlia

Thanks a lot for all your comments!


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## forever_young

Akritas said:


> I have an objection. I don't think that 'θα έπρεπε να πάω αλλά δεν πήγα' is correct. It refers to an action that began and ended in the past, therefore the correct way should be 'θα έπρεπε να είχα πάει αλλά δεν πήγα' (I should have gone but I didn't). If however the action began in the past and is ongoing then we use 'θα έπρεπε να πάω αλλά δεν θα πάω' (I should go but I will not).



Yes Akritas, that may be wrong if we use it in a written form but you can hear people saying it, that's why i said "hear" in my previous post


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