Learning English Grammar The third conditional
Aug 12, 2025
Dive into the intriguing realm of the third conditional! Discover how to express hypothetical past scenarios you didn't act on. Structured examples help clarify sentence construction and illustrate the flexibility of word order. Engage with a quiz to test your understanding and pick up handy tips for usage. It's a fascinating way to reflect on 'what could have been' in your conversations!
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Use For Imaginary Past Situations
- Use the third conditional to talk about imaginary situations in the past.
- It imagines a different past and its hypothetical result.
Mike's Missed-Train Example
- Mike missed work because he didn't know the trains were cancelled.
- He imagines a different past with 'If I had known the trains were cancelled, I would have taken a bus.'
How The Third Conditional Is Formed
- Form the condition with if + past perfect to describe the unreal past.
- Form the result with subject + would have + past participle to state the imagined outcome.