“If I would have studied more, I would have gotten a better grade”: a sentence like that is enough to automatically start the correction. This is the most common error in the use of the subjunctive.
In the standard Italian language, the conditional after “se” is almost always considered an error, especially when talking about a hypothetical period. The reality, however, is a little more complex: there are cases in which the “if + conditional” construction not only exists, but is also perfectly legitimate. To understand why, we need to distinguish between two very different grammatical structures: the hypothetical sentence and the indirect interrogative.
The hypothetical sentence expresses a hypothesis and its consequence. It is composed of a subordinate conditional (protasis, which contains the hypothesis) and a regent (apodosis, which contains the consequence). In standard Italian the protasis is introduced by “se” and requires the indicative or subjunctive, never the conditional. This is why a phrase like “if I would have studied” is considered incorrect. The conditional must appear in the apodosis: “I would have gotten a better grade”).
The case is different when “if” introduces an indirect interrogative, that is, a subordinate one that expresses a question, a doubt or an uncertainty. In cases like “I wonder if he would come” or “I wondered if he would leave”, the conditional is allowed. Here there is no hypothetical relationship between two events, but the question expresses a doubt, a possibility, an uncertainty reported indirectly.
Linguist Luca Serianni identifies some cases in which the “if + conditional” works perfectly. The first is when he implies an implicit condition: “I wonder if he would say the same things”, with an unsaid such as “if his father were there”. Another case is that of the polite conditional: “I wonder if you wouldn’t like to sit down”. Here the verb serves above all to tone down the tone of the request.
Then there is the case of the so-called future in the past: “I was wondering if he would really leave.” The conditional indicates a future action with respect to a moment that has already passed.
Even in these contexts, however, the conditional after “if” may be less natural to native speakers. However, standard Italian prefers the subjunctive: “I wondered if it was better” appears more linear than “if it would be better”. It does not mean that the latter form is always to be considered wrong, but it remains a more peripheral construction.
The point, therefore, is not to understand what kind of sentence we are constructing.
