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Second & Third Conditionals

GRAMMAR-(B1-B2)

10/22/2025

Target Structures:

Second Conditional: If + past simple, would + base verb
Third Conditional: If + past perfect, would have + past participle

Goal:

Talk about imaginary or unreal situations — in the present/future (Second Conditional) and the past (Third Conditional).

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

🗣️ Questions:

  1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

  2. What would you do if you won a million euros?

  3. If you had studied a different subject, what job would you have now?

💬 Sample answers:

If I won a million euros, I’d travel the world.
If I had studied medicine, I would have become a doctor.

🎯 Focus: introduce unreal present/future (2nd) and unreal past (3rd) ideas.

2. Presentation (8 min)

A. Second Conditional → Unreal present or future

✅ Form:
If + past simple, would + base verb

✅ Use:
Talk about imaginary or unlikely situations now or in the future.

💬 Examples:

If I had more money, I’d buy a new car.
If we lived in the city, we’d go out more.
If she studied harder, she would pass the test.

🧩 Meaning: It’s not true now, but you’re imagining it.

💬 Tip:
Even with “was,” we often say were in the “if” clause (If I were you…).

B. Third Conditional → Unreal past

✅ Form:
If + past perfect, would have + past participle

✅ Use:
Talk about past situations that didn’t happen, and their imagined results.

💬 Examples:

If I had woken up earlier, I wouldn’t have missed the train.
If they had studied, they would have passed the exam.
If you had told me, I would have helped you.

🧩 Meaning: Imagines a different past — shows regret or reflection.

C. Comparison

TypeIf-clauseMain clauseMeaningSecondpast simplewould + base verbunreal present/futureThirdpast perfectwould have + past participleunreal past

💬 Examples:

  • If I were rich, I’d buy a boat. (But I’m not rich.)

  • If I had been rich, I’d have bought a boat. (But I wasn’t rich then.)

3. Controlled Practice (6 min)

Complete with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

  1. If I ______ (have) more free time, I ______ (learn) another language.

  2. If she ______ (know) about the party, she ______ (come).

  3. If we ______ (not miss) the bus, we ______ (arrive) on time.

  4. If I ______ (be) you, I ______ (talk) to my boss.

  5. If he ______ (study) harder, he ______ (get) better marks.

  6. If it ______ (not rain) yesterday, we ______ (go) to the beach.

  7. If they ______ (live) closer, we ______ (see) them more often.

  8. If I ______ (wake up) earlier, I ______ (not be) late for work.

✅ Answers + Explanations

  1. had / would learn → Second → unreal present (I don’t have time).

  2. had known / would have come → Third → past regret (she didn’t know).

  3. hadn’t missed / would have arrived → Third → unreal past.

  4. were / would talk → Second → advice about present.

  5. studied / would get → Second → imaginary present situation.

  6. hadn’t rained / would have gone → Third → unreal past.

  7. lived / would see → Second → hypothetical now.

  8. had woken up / wouldn’t have been → Third → unreal past.

💬 Why others are wrong:

  • Don’t use will or would in the “if” part.

  • The tense depends on when (present → 2nd, past → 3rd).

4. Interactive Practice (5 min)

Complete the sentences with your own ideas.

  1. If I were rich, I would ______.

  2. If I had studied more, I would have ______.

  3. If I lived by the sea, I would ______.

  4. If I hadn’t gone out last night, I wouldn’t have ______.

  5. If I were you, I’d ______.

💬 Example:

If I lived by the sea, I’d go surfing every day.
If I hadn’t gone out, I wouldn’t have missed my train.

🎯 Focus: connect real personal experience with structure.

5. Free Practice (4 min) — Engaging Discussion Questions

Answer using the correct conditional form naturally.

  1. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

  2. If you hadn’t met your best friend, how would your life be different?

  3. What would you do if you found a lost wallet?

  4. If you had taken a different job in the past, where would you be now?

  5. What would you do if you couldn’t use your phone for a week?

  6. If you had been born 100 years ago, how would your life have changed?

  7. If you could speak any language instantly, which one would you choose?

🎯 Focus: creative, emotional, and hypothetical thinking.

6. Extra Discussion (3–4 min)

🗣️ More open-ended prompts:

  1. If people didn’t use cars, how would cities change?

  2. If you had known about AI earlier, would you have studied technology?

  3. If you were a world leader, what would you do first?

  4. If humans had discovered another planet, would we live there now?

  5. If you had listened to your parents more, what might have changed?

💬 Encourage students to justify their answers fully and mix both structures when possible.

7. Wrap-Up & Review (2 min)

🎯 Quick Recap:

TypeStructureMeaningExampleSecondIf + past, would + base verbUnreal present/futureIf I had money, I’d travel.ThirdIf + past perfect, would have + ppUnreal pastIf I had saved money, I’d have travelled.

💬 Mini Challenge:
Say one unreal present and one unreal past situation about yourself.

If I were taller, I’d play basketball.
If I had trained harder, I would have won the race.

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