Editing Counterfactual conditional (section)

=== Fake aspect ===

''Fake [[grammatical aspect|aspect]]'' often accompanies fake tense in languages that mark aspect. In some languages (e.g. [[Modern Greek]], [[Zulu language|Zulu]], and the [[Romance languages]]) this fake aspect is [[imperfective aspect|imperfective]]. In other languages (e.g. [[Palestinian Arabic]]) it is [[perfective aspect|perfective]]. However, in other languages including [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Polish language|Polish]], counterfactuals can have either perfective or imperfective aspect.<ref name="bjorkmanhalpert" />

Fake imperfective aspect is demonstrated by the two [[Modern Greek]] sentences below. These examples form a [[minimal pair]], since they are identical except that the first uses past imperfective marking where the second uses past perfective marking. As a result of this morphological difference, the first has a counterfactual meaning, while the second does not.<ref name="ingredients" />

{{interlinear
| lang = el
| indent = 3|An eperne afto to siropi θa γinotan kala|if take.'''PST.IPFV''' this {} syrup FUT become.'''PST.IPFV''' well|'If he took this syrup, he would get better'
}}
{{interlinear
| lang = el
| indent = 3|An ipχe afto to siropi θa eγine kala|if take.'''PST.PFV''' this {} syrup FUT become.'''PST.PFV''' well|"If he took this syrup, he must be better."
}}

This imperfective marking has been argued to be fake on the grounds that it is compatible with ''completive adverbials'' such as "in one month":<ref name="ingredients" />

{{interlinear |lang=el |indent=3
| An eχtizes to spiti (mesa) se ena mina θa prolavenes na to pulisis prin to kalokeri
| if build.'''IPFV''' the house {} in one month FUT have-time-enough.'''IPFV''' to it sell before the summer
| "If you built this house in a month, you would be able to sell it before the summer."
}}

In ordinary non-conditional sentences, such adverbials are compatible with perfective aspect but not with imperfective aspect:<ref name="ingredients" />

{{interlinear |lang=el |indent=3
| Eχtise afto to spiti (mesa) se ena mina
| build.'''PFV''' this {} house in {} one month
| "She built this house in one month."
}}
{{interlinear |lang=el |indent=3
| * Eχtize afto to spiti (mesa) se ena mina
| {} build.'''IPFV''' this {} house in {} one month
| "She was building this house in one month."
}}