Third Conditional: no possibility

The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true. Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-( condition Past Perfect If I had won the lottery result WOULD HAVE + Past Participle I would have bought a car.

Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now. Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won. Look at some more examples in the tables below: IF condition past perfect If If If If If I had seen Mary Tara had been free yesterday they had not passed their exam it had rained yesterday it had rained yesterday result WOULD HAVE + past participle I would have told her. I would have invited her. their teacher would have been sad. would you have stayed at home? what would you have done? IF condition past perfect if if I had seen her. she had been free yesterday.

result WOULD HAVE + past participle I would have told Mary I would have invited Tara

Their teacher would have been sad Would you have stayed at home What would you have done

if if if

they had not passed their exam. it had rained yesterday? it had rained yesterday?

The Third Conditional Exercise at Auto-English

IF + PAST PERFECT , WOULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE WOULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE + IF + PAST PERFECT Fill the gap using the verb in brackets. Think very carefully about the meaning of the phrase before deciding whether to use a negative or positive verb form. 1 2 3 4 5 I wouldn't be angry if you _____________________ my chocolate mousse. (to eat) If he had known you were in hospital, he _____________________ you. (to visit) We wouldn't have come by taxi if we _____________________ the right bus. (to find) We would have visited the Prado gallery if we _____________________ time. (to have) If you hadn't been asking me questions all the time, I _____________________ the film.(to enjoy) If I _____________________ your number, I would have phoned.(to know) If just one person had remembered my birthday, I _____________________ sad. (to be) I would have understood the film if it _____________________ in German. (to be*) They _____________________ to see you if they hadn't been away. (to come) If she _____________________ on a double yellow line, she wouldn't have got a fine. (to park) If I'd known you were coming, I _____________________ a cake. (to bake) If she _____________________ the shed unlocked, they wouldn't have stolen her bike. (to leave) If you had told me about the concert, I _____________________. (to go) The storm _____________________ a lot of damage if it had come this way. (to do) The holidays would have been great if the weather _____________________ better. (to be)

6 7 8 9 10

11 12

13 14 15

* If you are a German speaker, then the answer is different!

The Third Conditional Exercise at Auto-English

Gap-fill exercise Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers.
CheckHint

1 I wouldn't be angry if you

my chocolate mousse. (to eat)

2 If he

you were in hospital, he would have visited you.(to know)

3 We wouldn't have come by taxi if we

the right bus.(to find)

4 We would have visited the Prado gallery if we

time.(to have)

5 If you hadn't been asking me questions all the time, I film.(to

the enjoy)

If

your

number,

would

have

phoned.(to

know)

7 If just one person had remembered my birthday, I

sad.(to be)

8 I would have understood the film if it

in German.(to be)

9 They

to see you if they hadn't been away.(to come)

10 If she

there, she wouldn't have got a fine.(to park)

An exercise on the Third Conditional

1) Use the word: begin If the seminar at 10:00 we would have been on time.

2) Use the word: call If the customer phone. earlier I would have told her to try your cell

3) Use the word: fix If you had informed us of these problems by 8:00 a.m. we them this morning.

4) Use the word: increase If you had adopted that marketing strategy your profits dramatically.

5) Use the word: learn Your employees them to that training session. everything about the program if you had sent

6) Use the words: meet & give If I card. with the customer yesterday I her your

7) Use the words: do & produce Your company international market. better financially if you for the

8) Use the words: think & succeed If you more positively you .

9) Use the words: use & "to be" If you environment. biodegradable products it better for the

10) Use the words: see & visit We Mr. Johnson if we the factory last week.