Second Conditional in English Grammar

Second Conditional in English Grammar

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First Conditional

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First Conditional

First Conditional in English Grammar

The second conditional in action – English grammar

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First Conditional in English Grammar

First Conditional in English Grammar

What is the second conditional (possible conditional) in English grammar?

Daily grammar lesson with Elo Kasia. When do we use the 2nd conditional (present unreal conditional)? Easy explanation and plenty of examples.

 What are conditional sentences?

Conditional sentences are used to talk about events and their results and are made of two clauses, the condition clause and the main (result) clause.

The four main types of conditional sentences are factual conditional ( The 0 conditional ), possible conditional (Type 1 conditional ), present unreal conditional ( Type 2 conditional ) and past unreal conditional ( Type 3 conditional ).

Conditional Forms

1. Factual conditional (zero conditional) / Form: Present Simple — Present Simple
2. Possible conditional (first conditional) / Form: Present Simple — will + verb
3. Present unreal conditional (second conditional) / Form: Past Simple — would + verb
4. Past unreal conditional (third conditional) / Form: Past Perfect — would have +Past Participle

 When do we use the second conditional?

 Form of second conditional

• CONDITION: if + past simple — RESULT: would (might/could) + verb

 Have a look at these examples:

Second conditional used for events which are improbable or highly unlikely

• If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.
• If I were rich, I would travel the world.
• If I were a chef, I would shout at everybody in the kitchen.
• If I lived in Italy, I would eat pizza every day.
• She would pass the exam if she studied hard.
• Where would you go if you won a free plane ticket?

Second conditional used for events which are imaginary or impossible

• If I had a superpower, I would like to be able to fly.
• If I knew where they lived, I would go and see them.
• They would visit their uncle more often if he didn’t live so far away.
• I wouldn’t tell my friend the truth if I knew it would hurt them.
• If you were an animal, which animal would you be? “I would be a lion.”

The second conditional is also used to give or ask for advice, when we imagine being somebody else.

• I wouldn’t buy this car if I were you.
• If I were you, I wouldn’t go to the party.
• I wouldn’t make a fuss about the money if I were him.
• What would you do if you were me?
• How would you behave if you were in his shoes?

Compare these two sentences:

If I pass the test, I will be really happy. (I have a good chance of passing the test)

 

If I passed the test, I would be really happy. (I don’t have much chance of passing it)

 

Second conditional sentences are also used to make a request sound more polite. As politeness is very important in English, it is recommended that you use the second form as much as possible.

Compare these two sentences:

Will it be alright if I take your car? (Direct request, informal)

Would it be alright if I took your car? (Polite request, formal)

Make sure you follow our *TT exercises to practice different types of conditional sentences.

With the second conditional the easiest and fun way to practice is to imagine a different reality, different present from what we live, i.e. “If I had a lot of money, I would…”, “If I lived in a big house, I would …”, “If I was/were young again, I would …” and so on and so forth. Let your imagination run wild.

Check my other articles here: All English Time Ask Elo – Learning Articles

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Elo Kasia Community Mentor for ” English Grammar and Speaking Academy“.

Director at Eloquent Learning Online, educational institution based in the UK. www.eloquentlearning.com. Grammar Rules

seccond Conditional in English Grammar

second Conditional in English Grammar

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