Second conditional

Form
We form the second conditional using:
If + past simple would /could/ might+ infinitive

We can use if in two positions:

1-clause first: When the if-clause is at the beginning of the sentence, we use a comma to
separate it from the main clause.

Use
We use the second conditional to talk about unreal, hypothetical or imagined situations in
the PRESENT OR FUTURE. The situations are:

1-possible but not probable:

If 1 had a lot of money, I ………………..(buy) a Ferrari. (I don't think it's very probable this
will happen.)
2-impossible:
If …………….(be) French, I'd understand this film. (But I'm English.)

Note: When we use the past simple with if it refers to THE PRESENT OR FUTURE. It does
not refer to the past.

When we give advice, we often use If I were you rather than If I was you.

If I were you, I……………….(train) to be a scientist.

Positive: If you …………..(train) for seven years, you would become an engineer.

If you changed the atmosphere, different organisms…………………(grow).

Negative: You ………………(not become) an engineer if you didn’t finish this project.

Question: What ……………..you …………(do) If you had $500?

Would you jump of a cliff if your friends ……………….(tell) you to?

2-Main clause first:

You …………………….(become) an engineer if you trained for seven years.

Rain …………………(not fall) if the temperature stayed the same

We can also form the second conditional with could and might instead of would:

If there………………….(be) soil, plants could be introduced.

.
If oxygen ………………(be) introduced, forests might grow.

Note: Could denotes opinion, ability, or possibility depending on the context and the meaning
of the sentence.
Might denotes possibility that is less than “may”

* * *
Note: The contracted form of would is 'd. Don't confuse the contracted forms of would 'd
and had ‘d).

They'd spend more on space exploration if it ……………(be) less expensive. (= They would
spend)
They'd spent S500 million to develop a new space capsule. (= They had spent)

Complete the sentences with second conditional:

1.If he………..(win) the competition, he ………. (be) very happy.

2.If she… …….. (pass) her exams, I'm sure she… …(go) to more concerts.

3.He… …….(not have) cosmetic surgery if he… ……(not need) it.

4…… … you…..(live) in Hollywood if you… …… (have) enough money?

5.If the boys… ……….(like) music, they… …….(go) to more concerts.

6.Humans… ……..(reverse) global warming if they… ……really (want) to?

7.If you……..(have) the opportunity to travel into space, … …you (take) it?

8. If I… ………..(be) you, I… …(rest) before the journey.

1.If he……won…..(win) the competition, he …would be……. (be) very happy.

2.If she…passed…….. (pass) her exams, I'm sure she…would go…(go) to more concerts.

3.He…wouldn’t have…….(not have) cosmetic surgery if he…didn’t need……(not need) it.

4……Would… you…live..(live) in Hollywood if you…had…… (have) enough money?

5.If the boys…liked……….(like) music, they…would go…….(go) to more concerts.

6.Humans…would reverse……..(reverse) global warming if they…wanted……really (want) to?

7.If you……had…..(have) the opportunity to travel into space, …would…you (take) it?

8. If I…were/was………..(be) you, I…would rest…(rest) before the journey.

2-Third Conditional
Form
1-We form the third conditional using:
If+ past perfect tense, would have + past participle

Use
We use the third conditional to talk about situations in the past that DID NOT HAPPEN
and it expresses HYPOTHETICAL CONSEQUENCE OR RESULT OF THE
IMAGINED PAST SITUATION. The situation described is often THE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. We have a feeling of REGRET because the opposite
happened!
If I had seen him, I ………………….(say) hello. (I didn't see him and I didn't say hello.)

If I ………………….(travel) abroad, I would have taken my passport.

2-We can use could/might (not) have TO SPECULATE ON A POSSIBLE BUT

UNCERTAIN CONSEQUENCE OF THE IMAGINED PAST SITUATION. We

sometimes use it to express opinions or ability.

If he had asked for directions, he might not have got lost.

(The imagined situation is his asking for direction, a thing that he didn’t do, but if he had asked
for the direction the possible consequence would be that it was possible that he would not get
lost.)

Note:
1-The contracted form of both would and had is 'd. DON'T CONFUSE the two forms
If I'd seen him I'd have said hello. (Had is followed by a past participle= If I had seen him)
If I’d seen him, I'd have said hello. (= I would have said hello. Would is followed by have + past
participle)

Note:

Would expresses a MORE Certain consequence of the imagined past situation

Could/Might express uncertainty

Positive: If we …………..(plan) the trip, we would have reached our destination more quickly.

Negative: We ………………..(not be) late if you'd checked the timetable.

Question: What ……….. you ……………(do) if you had been me?

Would you have bought the Yeezy sneakers if your friends ………………(tell) you
to?

2-We can also form the third conditional with:

could and might instead of would.

She could have visited the Colosseum if she……………(go) to Rome.

If you……………….(eat) in that restaurant, you might have seen someone famous.

3-We can use if in two positions:

1-If-clause first:
If we had planned the trip, zee …………………..(reach) our destination more quickly.

2-Main clause first:

We would have reached our destination more quickly if we ………………(plan) the trip.

4-When the /- clause is at the beginning of the sentence; we use a comma , to separate it from
the main clause.
Complete the sentences with the past perfect simple and would have
+ past participle.
1-If you…...…. (drive) more slowly, you……..….(not have) an accident.

2-They……..…...(find) the way to the settlement if they……..………. (not

lose) the map.

3-……... you…. …...(plan) the journey more if you … ……(know) about the

problems ahead?

4- If the explorers………...(prepare) better, they………………(succeed).

5- The local people….......…(be) more friendly if we… ….…. (understand)

their language.

6- What……...you…. …(do) if they…. …... (attack) you?

7- We…... ….…..(not feel) nervous if we…. …...(read) about their customs

first.

8- If she….... ……. (want) to come with us, we… …. (welcome) her.

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1. If you…... had driven…. (drive) more slowly, you…..wouldn’t have had….(not have) an
accident. They…would have found…...(find) the way to the settlement if they…had not
lost………. (not lose) the map.
 2. …Would…. you…. have planned…...(plan) the journey more if you ……had
known……(know) about the problems ahead?
3. If the explorers…had prepared…...(prepare) better, they…would have succeeded…
(succeed).
4. The local people…...would have been…(be) more friendly if we…had....understood….
(understand) their language.
5. What…would…...you…. have done…(do) if they…. had attacked…... (attack) you?
6. We…...wouldn’t have felt….…..(not feel) nervous if we…. had read…...(read) about
their customs first.
7. If she…....had wanted……. (want) to come with us, we……would have welcomed….
(welcome) her.

Exercises:

Put the verb into the correct conditional forms:

1-If we hadn’t taken the torch into the cave, we………….(not find) our way back to

the camp.

2-James would buy a villa for you and the kids if he………………….. (have)

enough money.
3-If my son……………a baby girl, he would take her to work with him!

4-That reckless boy…………(sell) my house if I gave him the chance.

5-I would have recognized the thief if he…………(not shave) his beard.

6-If COVID-19 vaccine…………..(be) safe, people will queue to get vaccinated.

7-My family…………..(travel) around the world if they won the lottery.

8-Mrs. Weissman firmly believes that if her daughter…………(tell) her how she

was cyberbullied for months, she would have helped her.

9-If the hunter sees a cougar running across the forest, he ……………(shoot)to

kill.

10-If the students had studied grammar thoroughly, they………………..(not be) so

stressed out.

1-If we had taken the torch into the cave, we…wouldn’t have lost………….(not

lost) our way back to the camp. (regret)

2-James would buy a villa for you and the kids if he…had………..(have) money.

(unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

3-If my son……had………a baby girl, he would take her to work with him!

(unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

4-That reckless boy……would sell……(sell) my house if I gave him the chance.

(unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

5-I would have recognized the thief if he…hadn’t shaved………(not shave) his

beard. (regret)

6-If COVID-19 vaccine…was……..(be) safe, people would queue to get

vaccinated. (unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

7-My family…would travel………..(travel) around the world if they won the

lottery. (unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

8-Mrs. Weissman firmly believes that if her daughter…had told………(tell) her

how she had been cyberbullied for months, she would have helped her. (regret)

9-If the hunter saw a cougar running across the forest, he …would shoot…………

(shoot)to kill. (unreal or imagined situations in the present or future)

10-If the students had studied grammar thoroughly, they…would not have been….

(not be) so stressed out. (regret)