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In this link, [Past Unreal
Conditional](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/25179/past-unreal-
conditional/25186#comment62906_25186), user l'électeur has given an answer
pointing to the tense issues in the original sentence given in the question,
stating that ていた needs to be used instead of た:

> あのとき右に曲がれば、どうなっただろう。
>
> If I had turned right back then, I wonder what would have happened.

l'électeur has given the following corrected sentences:

> 「あのとき右に **曲がっていたのなら（ば）** 、どう **なっていた** （の）だろう(or のであろう)。」
>
> or
>
> 「あのとき右に **曲がっていれば** (or **いたら** )、どう **なっていた** （の）だろう(or のであろう)。」

However, I would like to know **why exactly ていた and not just た must be used
for both 曲がる and なる**. I am aware that ていた expresses a state while た focuses
on the action, but I simply cannot comprehend why one would choose to focus on
"the state of turning right" rather than regretting his decision of not
"taking the action of turning right".

I have done some research on these tenses myself, and one source I have found
is the following question, which I have derived the "state" vs "action" idea
from:

[What is the difference between using ている、ていた、た in relative
clauses?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/21422/what-is-the-
difference-between-
using-%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%82%8B-%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%81%9F-%E3%81%9F-in-
relative-clauses)
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question
grammar て-form tense conditionals
た or ていた? Is "turned right" a state or an action?
I'm going to take a shot at answering this, after l'électeur helped me
straighten out some things:

> あのとき右に **曲がれば** 、どう **なった** だろう。

would probably be fitting for "If I **turned** right back then, I wonder
**what events would have taken place**." This sentence seems to emphasise the
action of turning, and the process of resulting actions taking place.

> あのとき右に **曲がっていた** のなら（ば）、どう **なっていた** （の）だろう。

would probably be fitting for "If I **had turned** right back then, I wonder
**what would have happened**." This sentence seems to emphasise the state of
"had turned", and the state of affairs that would have resulted.
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answer