• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Free Spirit English

Learn English Fast

  • Home
  • Videos
  • IELTS
  • Vocabulary
  • Grammar
  • Pronunciation
  • About Us
    • Contact Us

Free Spirit English / August 24, 2019

8. The Third Conditional (Part 1) – English Grammar Guide

Click on the video below to start learning about the Third Conditional. After watching, be sure to check out Part 2 here.

English Grammar Guide #8. The Third Conditional - Part 1

Transcript

Today: “The Third Conditional – Part 1.” In this episode, we’re going to look at some sample sentences and examine the structure of the third conditional.

To review the first conditional and the second conditional, check out our earlier videos in this series.

Let’s look at an example third conditional sentence:

  • If I had been born in Ancient Rome, I would have spoken Latin.

Let’s take a closer look at that sentence:

As with all conditional sentences, there are two parts. The first part is a condition (if I had been born in Ancient Rome). Notice that this condition imagines a change in the past. Third conditional sentences are about changing the past. The second part is the result (I would have spoken Latin).

The condition is made by using the past perfect — that is, subject + had + past participle (if I had been born). The result is made using would + the present perfect — that is, subject + have/has + past participle (I would have spoken).

Because this structure is so long, native speakers shorten it. If I had been born becomes if I’d been born. Also, only English teachers say, “I would have spoken.” In the real world, people replace would have with wudda or wud of (“I wudda spoken Latin” or “I wud of spoken Latin”).

Examples

Let’s look at some more examples of third conditional sentences. Pay attention to the pronunciation, too.

  • Id I’d studied harder, I would have received better results.
  • If Paul had come from a wealthier family, he would have had better opportunities in life.
  • If the captain had been more careful, the boat wouldn’t have sunk.
  • If they’d played more carefully, they wouldn’t have broken the window.
  • If an asteroid hadn’t struck Earth, the dinosaurs wouldn’t have died out.

OK, it’s practice time! Can you write your own sentences using the third conditional? If so, put them in the comments section below. Best of luck! See you next time!

Have you finished the video lesson above? Great! Watch the second part of this series The Third Conditional (Part 2) here.

You can find Free Spirit English on Facebook and Instagram where we share many resources designed to help you improve your English skills fast.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: English Grammar Guide, Videos

Free Spirit English

Hi, there! Welcome to our site! We're Dara and Jessica, two English language teachers with a passion for sharing content to help you on your journey towards English mastery. Read more...

Follow us: Facebook / Instagram / Youtube

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

For business enquires, please contact us.

 

 

Privacy Policy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Copyright© 2023 Free Spirit English