Learning English Grammar
The second conditional
Feb 27, 2024
Learn how to talk about hypothetical situations in English with the second conditional, including tips on pronunciation and examples from football. Test your understanding with a quiz and explore the nuances of the grammar structure.
06:12
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Quick takeaways
- Second conditionals discuss impossible scenarios with 'if' past simple and 'would' result clauses.
- Contractions like 'I'd' are common in second conditionals; listen for shortened 'd' sound in speech.
Deep dives
Usage of the Second Conditional
The second conditional is utilized to discuss impossible, unlikely, or imaginary scenarios. For instance, in a football context, if England won the World Cup, the result would be that Catherine would be extremely happy. This type of conditional sentence consists of an 'if' clause with a past simple verb to describe the situation and a 'would' or 'wouldn't' with an infinitive in the result clause. Changing the order of these clauses maintains the same meaning.
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