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Is it allowed to use the "if + would" conditional when speculating about a polite request that could have taken place in past? I know that the would structure can be used to make a polite request, but can it be used for making one in the past as well?

If he would have told me what he wanted for lunch, I would have cooked it for him.

Also, may I use this construction in the past perfect tense?

Example: If he "would had told" me what he wanted for lunch, I would have cooked it for him.

There is nothing wrong with this:

✔ If he would have told me what he wanted for lunch, I would have cooked it for him.

However, it's a bit more common for it to be phrased this way:

✔ If he had told me what he wanted for lunch, I would have cooked it for him.

On the other hand, the combination of both would and had does not work:

✘ If he would had told me what he wanted for lunch, I would have cooked it for him.

"will" and "would" can be used in conditional clauses when a polite request is implied (the examples are taken from here):

• If you 'll just fill in this form before you go, you can hand it in to reception.




• If you would take a seat, the doctor will see you in five minutes.

However, strictly speaking, this cannot be the case with a counterfactual conditional sentence in which both the condition and the result are set in the past.

In the Cambridge Dictionary, we find this reference:

We use would have + -ed in the main clause, not in the conditional clause:

If he had stayed in the same room as Dave, it would have been a disaster.

Not: If he would have stayed … it would have been a disaster.

People do sometimes use the form with "would have" in informal speaking, but many speakers consider it incorrect.

If he would had told me is considered grammatically incorrect. The first example you showed is right.

First example:

✔ Correct

Second example:

✖ Incorrect

Either having had without would, or having have with would are both correct,

Can't mix those to up!