4 Lesson Type 3 Conditionals

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TYPE 3 CONDITIONAL

THIRD CONDITIONAL: HYPOTHETICAL

Third conditional sentences are not based on fact. They express a situation which is contrary to reality in the past (Past unreal conditional). This unreality is shown by a tense shift from past to Past Perfect.

FORM:

In a Type 3 conditional sentence, the tense in the 'if' clause (Condition) is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause (Result) is the perfect conditional:

Third conditional

Examples:

If you'd come to the party, you would have had a great time.

If I had worked harder at school, I would have got better grades.

If my client had given me her fax number, I wouldn't have had to post a letter to her.
If I'd known it was a formal party, I wouldn't have gone wearing jeans and a jumper.

FUNCTION:

Type 3 conditional sentences, are truly hypothetical or unreal, because it is now too late for the condition or its result to exist. There is always an unspoken "but..." phrase:

Example:

  • If I had worked harder I would have passed the exam
    (    but I didn't work hard, and I didn't pass the exam).
  • If I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake
    (    but I didn't know, and I haven't baked a cake).

 

OTHER MODAL VERBS

* Notice that the main clause can contain 'would', 'could' or 'might'.

 

  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I would have asked him. (But he wasn't there so I didn't.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I could have asked him. ( But he wasn't there so it wasn't possible.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I might have asked him. (But I'm not sure. Perhaps if the opportunity had arisen.)
  • If I had paid more attention in class, I would have understood the lesson.

NOTE:

Both would and had can be contracted to 'd, which can be confusing. Remember that you NEVER use would in the IF-clause, so in the example above, "If I'd known" must be "If I had known", and "I'd have baked" must be "I would have baked.."

Examples:

a. If I'd known you were in hospital, I would have visited you.
b. I would have bought you a present if I'd known it was your birthday.
c. If they'd had a better goalkeeper they wouldn't have lost the game.
d. If you had told me you were on the Internet, I'd have sent you an e-mail.

 

 

QUESTION: Complete the following paragraph with the past unreal conditional:

After I graduated from university, I applied for a marketing position with a prominent bank with branches all over the world. I didn't get the job because they wanted someone who spoke Spanish fluently. I ________________________ Spanish in high school, but I didn't. I took an acting class instead. If I _______________________ Spanish, I _______________________ the job. Just imagine, if I had actually gotten the job, I _______________________ to Spain. My entire life __________________________ in a totally different direction. If I had accepted the job and moved to Spain, I _______________________ a Spanish woman and might have gotten married. If that had actually happened, I probably _________________________ in Spain. We might have had children. Unfortunately, I didn't get the job and I didn't go to Spain. I got a boring job and I live alone. If I had just taken Spanish, my life _____________________________ much more interesting.