Difficulty
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| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 |
Let’s have a look at the form and meaning of the third conditional:
Form:
if + had + past participle + would have + (without ‘to’)
If | Past condition | Result |
If | had + past participle | would have + infinitive (without ‘to’) |
If | I had won the lottery, | I would have bought a car. |
If | James had become rich, | she would have married him. |
If | it had snowed last July, | would you have been surprised? |
If | you had come in the summer, | you could have stayed with us. |
If | you had come in the summer, | you might have even got your own room. |
Result | if | Past condition |
had + past participle | if | had + past participle |
I would have bought a car | if | I had won the lottery. |
She would have married him | if | he had become rich. |
Would you have been surprised | if | it had snowed last July? |
You could have stayed with us | if | you had come in the summer. |
You might have even got your own room | if | you had come in the summer. |
Note: Sometimes, we change would with should, could, or might. |
Meaning:
We use the third conditional to express an impossible connection between one imaginary past event (if + had + past participle) and another imaginary result (would have + infinitive [without ‘to’]). This conditional is known as the ‘impossible’ conditional, because it is used to talk about ‘impossible’ hypothetical situations in the past. Therefore, we are using a past tense to speak about the past condition, and the would have + infinitive (without ‘to’) to speak about the result.
Use the following exercises to test yourself.
[watupro 4]