Lesson 7 Unreal Conditionals

Yesterday's lesson focused on real conditionals:

Zero Conditional:
If I have a day off from work, I usually go to the park.
(a regular event; a real daily situation)
First Conditional:
If you study, youll pass the test tomorrow.
(a real possibility for the future)

Today we'll learn about unreal conditionals, which are used to talk about
imaginary, unlikely, or impossible situations in the present and past:

Second Conditional:
If I owned a car, I would drive to work.
(imagining things are different in the present)
Third Conditional:
If I had studied harder, I would have passed last
weeks test.
(imagining things were different in the past)
Mixed Conditional:
If I had finished my work yesterday, I wouldn't be
so stressed out today.
(mix of times - imagining something different in the
past having a different result in the present)

Second Conditional - Imagining the present were different

One simple way to imagine that things in the present were different is to use wish +
simple past:

I live near the beach, but I wish I lived near the mountains.
I wish my mother knew how to use a computer, but she doesnt.

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 My boyfriend is so busy that he has no time for me. I wish he didnt work so
much.
Getting a visa to travel to the U.S. is difficult. I wish the process wasnt so
complicated.

Put it into practice!

What are three things about your current life or present situation that you wish
were different? Respond with I wish + simple past:

1. I wish...
2. I wish...
3. I wish...

Now we'll take those wishes one step further and imagine the result; imagine what
would happen if they were currently true. This is the second conditional:

If I lived near the mountains, I would go hiking

every weekend.

If my mother knew how to use a computer, she

could e-mail me instead of calling.

If my boyfriend didnt work so much, we'd go out

more often.

If it wasn't so complicated to get a visa to the U.S., I'd take my whole family
there on vacation.

Like all conditional sentences, there are two parts: the condition and the result.
Take a look at these examples and identify which verb tense is used in the condition,
and which verb tense is used in the result:

CONDITION RESULT

If he exercised more, he would be thinner.

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 If I were taller, I could play professional basketball.

If the teacher spoke more we'd understand her better.

slowly,

If your company went what would you do?

bankrupt,

The verb in the condition is in the simple past. Then, in the result, we use would,
might, or could:

CONDITION: if + subject + past simple

RESULT: subject + would/might/could + verb

With would, it's common to use the contractions:

I'd, you'd, he'd, she'd, we'd, they'd

We use would when the result is more definite or certain:

If Peter asked Karen out, she would say yes.

(in this case, we are certain because we know that Karen wants to go out with Peter.
Maybe she has said that she is interested in him)

We use might when the result may or may not happen:

If Peter asked Karen out, she might say yes... but she might not.
(in this case, we aren't sure if Karen is interested in Peter or not)

We use could to talk about possibilities or abilities, without commenting on

whether or not they are likely to come true:

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If I had a million dollars, I could buy my own
helicopter, I could live in a mansion,
I could quit my job
(emphasizes the opening of possibilities all the
things that become possible with the wealth)

If I had a million dollars, I would quit my job

and move to a tropical island.
(I would definitely do these things if I were rich)

Put it into practice!

What would you do if you had a billion dollars? Be creative and let your imagination
run wild! You can use I could I would and I might in your answer.

If I had a billion dollars, I would... (or wouldn't)...

If I had a billion dollars, I could...
If I had a billion dollars, I might...

One final note on the second conditional: Which is correct?

If I was rich, Id buy a boat.

If I were rich, Id buy a boat.
If Dana was here right now, shed agree.
If Dana were here right now, shed agree.

Technically the correct answer is were in both cases even though the subject is
singular, we use were when talking about hypothetical situations.

However, informally, more and more people are saying sentences like these with
was when the subject is singular. Its not correct, but it is common. To be on the safe
side, its best to stick with were!

One very common phrase for giving advice is in the second conditional:

If I were you, Id

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Third Conditional Imagining that the past had been different

The second conditional is used for imagining that things in the present were
different. The third conditional is used for imagining that things in the past had been
different.

Let's start off by imagining a different past using wish. For hypothetical past
situations, use wish + past perfect:

I was late for work today. I wish I had

woken up 15 minutes earlier.

I wish I hadnt eaten that seafood stew

yesterday it made me sick.

Oh, hi I wasnt expecting you. I wish youd called before coming over.

This is used to express regret (such as for eating that seafood stew) or past
situations you wanted to be different (such as wishing your friend had called before
arriving at your house).

Put it into practice!

What are three things you wish had/hadnt happened in the past? Respond with I
wish + past perfect:

1. I wish...
2. I wish...
3. I wish...

Now we'll take those wishes one step further imagining the result, in the past, if
that past situation had been different:

If I had woken up 15 minutes earlier, I would have arrived on time.

If I hadnt eaten that seafood stew yesterday, I wouldnt have gotten sick.
If youd called before coming over, I could have prepared some food.

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This structure is called the third conditional. As you can see, it contains a
CONDITION and a RESULT:

Condition: If + past perfect

If I had woken up 15 minutes earlier

Result: would/could/might + have + past participle

I would have arrived on time.

Like the other conditionals, you can reverse the condition and result: I would have
arrived on time if Id woken up 15 minutes earlier.

Sometimes its helpful to see an illustration of the two possible paths. The top path is
what really happened, and the bottom path is the imaginary situation we are
thinking and talking about:

Here are two examples from my own life:

Real past: I came to Brazil and met my husband.

Imaginary past: If I hadn't come to Brazil, I wouldn't have met my husband.

Real past: I did not go to graduate school. I did not get my Ph.D.
Imaginary past: If I had gone to graduate school, I would have gotten my
Ph.D.

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Put it into practice!

Think about three significant events or experiences in your past which have
changed the course of your life. Now, try to imagine what would have happened if
they had been different.

Use the third conditional to express them:

If I had/hadn't... would have / wouldn't have + past participle

1. If I had/hadn't...
2. If I had/hadn't...
3. If I had/hadn't...

Mixed Conditionals

In mixed conditionals, we are imagining that a situation was different, but the
situation is a mix of two times. There are multiple possible combinations, but I will
show you the three most common types here.

Past condition, present result:

(when an action in the past has affected the present)

If I hadn't drunk so much last night,

I wouldn't feel so awful this morning!
If you had saved more money when you were
younger, you would be financially secure
now.

You can see that the first half of the sentence follows the third conditional rules:
if + past perfect

A normal third conditional sentence would continue with would have + past
participle. But the second half of this sentence does not instead, it follows the
second conditional rules: would + base form of the verb. Thats why we call this a
mixed conditional!

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Put it into Practice!

Think about one past action that has affected your present reality:

What really happened:

I lost a lot of weight last year, and now I play a lot of sports.

Now, transform it into a conditional sentence - imagine that the past action was
different, thus causing your present reality to be different:

Imagining it was different:

If I hadn't lost so much weight last year, I probably wouldn't play sports
today.

Your sentence: If I had / hadnt ____________________, I would ____________________ now.

Present condition, past result:

When a present/general condition affected a past situation. For example, my son is

5 years old. Yesterday we went to an amusement park and he wasnt old enough to
ride the roller coaster.

If he were older, he could have ridden that roller coaster yesterday.

present / general different result in the past
condition
Second Third conditional
conditional

Here are some more examples:

If I knew how to repair things, I would have helped you when your oven
broke last week.
If I were white, that police officer wouldn't have questioned me.
If I spoke Spanish, it would have been easier to communicate on my trip to
Mexico last month.

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Put it into practice!

Think about one present reality (it can be a possession, a personality trait, or an
ability) that affected a past action:

What really happened:

I dont own a car, so I didnt give you a ride yesterday.

Now transform it into a conditional sentence - imagine that your present reality was
different, thus causing the past action to be different:

Imagining it was different:

If I owned a car, I would have given you a ride yesterday.

Your sentence: If I ___________, I would/wouldnt have ____________.

Future condition, past result:

This form is used when having established future plans made some past action
possible or impossible:

If we weren't moving to another state next month, we would

have signed up for the local sports league.
If my parents were coming over tonight, I would have cleaned my
apartment.

You get a pass on putting this one into practice - this is one of the most difficult
structures to create a sentence, because it's not always the case that our future plans
make us choose to do or not do things in the past.

Summary

Use I wish + simple past to desire that present situations were different (I
wish I were rich)
Use the second conditional to imagine the results if present situations were
different (If I were rich, Id live in a mansion)
Use I wish + past perfect to desire that past situations had been different (I
wish I had woken up earlier)

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 Use the third conditional to imagine the past results if past situations had
been different (If I had woken up earlier, I would have gotten to work on
time)
Use a mixed conditional to imagine conditions and results when these are in
different times (present/past, past/present, future/past)

Youve finished Lesson 7! This concludes our series on conditionals. Now take the
quiz and do the practice exercises to be sure that youve mastered the structures of
unreal conditionals.

Writing Task

Think about one or two of those significant decisions or turning points you have
experienced, which have affected the course of your life.

Tell me about it describe the situation and how it turned out and also imagine
how your life would have been different if things had gone differently. Of course, its
impossible to know exactly what would have happened but try to imagine!

E-mail me your text at shayna@espressoenglish.net and Ill review it and send you
my feedback.

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Quiz Lesson 7 Unreal Conditionals
Exercise 1: Second conditional
Complete the sentences with the verbs in the correct tenses. Pay careful attention to
which part of the sentence is the condition, and which part is the result! When possible,
abbreviate would to d.

Condition: If + simple past | Result: would + base form

Ex) He ________________ (get) promoted if only he _____________ (show up) to work on time.
Hed get promoted if only he showed up to work on time.

1. If you _________________ (have) to start over, what ___________________ (you do)

differently?
2. The world ________________ (be) a much better place if people ________________
(be) more generous.
3. If she _______________ (not be) so stubborn, her co-workers ______________________
(like) her more.
4. If you ______________________ (eat) a healthy breakfast, you ____________________
(have) more energy.
5. I _____________________ (call) him if I _______________________ (have) his number.
6. If he _______________ (be) more organized, he __________________ (not forget) so
many things.
7. We ___________________ (go) with you if we ____________________ (not have) other
plans.
8. She's very honest; she ____________________ (not say) that if she
_____________________ (not mean) it.
9. How long ____________________ (it take) if we ___________________ (hire) someone to
do this work?
10. If they ____________________ (not buy) so much stuff, they ____________________
(have) more money to travel.

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Exercise 2: Third Conditional

Complete the sentences with the verbs in the correct tenses. Pay careful attention to
which part of the sentence is the condition, and which part is the result! When possible,
abbreviate had to d.

Condition: If + past perfect (had + past participle)

Result: would have + past participle

Ex) We ________________ (go) to the party if we ________________ (be) invited.

We would have gone to the party if wed been invited.

1. My son _______________________ (not clean) his room if I _______________________ (not

ask) him.
2. If he ________________________ (not step) in and stopped the argument, a fight
_____________________________ (break) out.
3. If I __________________ (wait) any longer to see a doctor, I _______________________
(end) up needing surgery.
4. I never _______________________ (develop) a love for learning if I ___________________
(not have) such great teachers.
5. Do you think you _________________________ (be) happier if you ____________________
(marry) your ex?
6. I _____________________ (not have) to rush if I _____________________ (start) the
assignment earlier.
7. We _______________________ (buy) more DVDs if they ______________________ (be) on
sale.
8. If I ______________________ (know) about the problem, I ______________________ (help).
9. If the manager _______________________ (give) better instructions, everyone
___________________________ (understand) the task.
10. They _____________________ (learn) more about the city if they ______________________
(take) a guided tour.

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Exercise 3: Mixed Conditionals

Unscramble the words to make sentences:

1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
years / I'd / invested / now! / 15 / If / in / be / Apple / rich / ago, / I'd
2. If she ______________________________________, she
_________________________________________________ to the funeral!
have / of / miniskirt / a / had / decency / wouldn't / worn / sense / any
3. _________________________________________________________________ these days.
job / more / he'd / have / he'd / If / college / finished / opportunities
4. I _________________________________________ if only I _____________________________________
nuts / that / had / would / cake / a / to / weren't / allergic / piece / have / of
5. Id ________________________________ right now if I _____________________________________
painting / money / already / that / buy / all / my / spent / hadn't
6. If _________________________ I sent you, then ___________________________________________
the / what / article / you'd / know / read / talking / I'm / you'd / about
7. If _______________________________, he __________________________________ he met at the
park.
so / weren't / that / have / out / girl / shy / Tim / asked / would
8. If she _______________________________________, she
____________________________________________________
understood / their / offended / wouldn't / have / better / the / visitors / culture
9. I ______________________________________ if I ___________________________________________
a / have / joined / would / knew / to / play / musical / band / a / how /
instrument
10. If he ________________________________________, then
______________________________________________________ today.
did / wouldn't / for / still / be / what / he / friends / we / apologized / hadn't

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Answers Lesson 7 Unreal Conditionals
Exercise 1: Second conditional

1. If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

2. The world would be a much better place if people were more generous.
3. If she werent so stubborn, her co-workers would like her more.
4. If you ate a healthy breakfast, youd have more energy.
5. Id call him if I had his number.
6. If he were more organized, he wouldnt forget so many things.
7. Wed go with you if we didnt have other plans.
8. She's very honest; she wouldnt say that if she didnt mean it.
9. How long would it take if we hired someone to do this work?
10. If they didnt buy so much stuff, theyd have more money to travel.

Exercise 2: Third Conditional

1. My son wouldnt have cleaned his room if I hadnt asked him.

2. If he hadnt stepped in and stopped the argument, a fight would have
broken out.
3. If Id waited any longer to see a doctor, I would have ended up needing
surgery.
4. I never would have developed a love for learning if I hadnt had such great
teachers.
5. Do you think you would have been happier if youd married your ex?
6. I wouldnt have had to rush if Id started the assignment earlier.
7. We would have bought more DVDs if theyd been on sale.
8. If Id known about the problem, I would have helped.
9. If the manager had given better instructions, everyone would have
understood the task.

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 10. They would have learned more about the city if theyd taken a guided tour.

Exercise 3: Mixed Conditionals

Unscramble the words to make sentences:

1. If Id invested in Apple 15 years ago, Id be rich now!

2. If she had any sense of decency, she wouldnt have worn a miniskirt to the
funeral!
3. If hed finished college, hed have more job opportunities these days.
4. I would have had a piece of that cake if only I werent allergic to nuts.
5. Id buy that painting right now if I hadnt spent all my money already.
6. If youd read the article I sent you, then youd know what Im talking about.
7. If Tim werent so shy, he would have asked out that girl he met at the park.
8. If she understood their culture better, she wouldnt have offended the
visitors.
9. I would have joined a band if I knew how to play a musical instrument.
10. If he hadnt apologized for what he did, then we wouldnt still be friends
today.

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