Are sentences correct?

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1) If you are facing trouble, call me.

2. If you find yourself facing any trouble, call me.

3) If you were ever facing trouble, you should just call me.

Are the sentences correct and what is the difference in their meanings?

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In the first two sentences we would probably replace facing with in, but they are OK. They mean the same thing.

The third is wrong because you are using past tense were -- something already happened.

If you want present tense replace were with are.

If you do want past tense If you were in trouble, you should have called me.

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Isn't the third sentence hypothetical, not past tense?

Thanks.

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I would still use the are. It would still be theoretical. You're way doesn't read correctly to me. I am reading it as incorrect tense. Sorry.

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YL, you are correct, the third sentence does require the subjunctive, so "were" is correct, not "are."

TCR, if you can't actually give the correct response--and you have made a mess of this question--then you shouldn't answer questions such as this.

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I was just about to post about the subjunctive. As I understand current english usage we would generally use auxillary verbs. But I'll bow to your superior knowledge.

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TheCorrectResponse wrote:

I would still use the are. It would still be theoretical. You're way doesn't read correctly to me. I am reading it as incorrect tense. Sorry.

What do you mean by 'theoretical'? I've heard of hypothetical. 'You're way' - what do you mean?

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Setanta wrote:

YL, you are correct, the third sentence does require the subjunctive, so "were" is correct, not "are."

Thanks, Setanta.

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I meant hypothetical...didn't mean to mess you up.

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Yoong Liat, i advise you to pay no attention to what TCR has written. He/she obviously doesn't know enough about English grammar to answer your questions in a trustworthy manner.

Using "you're" rather than "your" is simply a symptom of this.

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Yes I am a terrible person. Or I type too fast either one.

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Just to show you I wasn't trying to mislead you I actually looked something up on the web, which I rearly do and found this.

Quote:

Sujunctive the forms. If she were coming, she would be here by now. I insist that the chairman resign! Their main demand was that the lawsuit be dropped. These sentences all contain verbs in the subjunctive mood, which is used chiefly to express the speaker's attitude about the likelihood or factuality of a given situation. If the verbs were in the indicative mood, we would expect she was coming in the first sentence, the chairman resigns in the second, and the lawsuit is dropped in the third. 1
English has had a subjunctive mood since Old English times, but most of the functions of the old subjunctive have been taken over by auxiliary verbs like may and should, and the subjunctive survives only in very limited situations. It has a present and past form.

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I've not said that you are a terrible person. However, YL, like a great many others, comes here for accurate information on the English language, and often--once again, this is true of YL--comes prepared with more technical knowledge of English grammar than many people who post here casually--in which group i would place you.

If you don't know the correct response to an English language question, you should not attempt to simply supply what "sounds" right to you. I've been taken to task myself for providing incorrect answers, and have grown more careful. There are many such questions which i do not answer. I have, however, had experience in teaching English as a second language, and a good foundation in both English and French grammar.

Once again, i advise you not to answer questions unless you are certain of the correct response.

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Your comment on the post directly above yours?

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Now you're just winging it to attempt to cover your ass. The "auxiliary verb" you attempted to suggest was "to have," and inserted in that sentence as you suggested would have changed the tense of the verb from the present subjunctive and conditional to an example of the past tense. You clearly did not understand the question, and you clearly failed to recognize the use of the subjunctive in the third sentence.