Look at these examples to see how third and mixed conditionals are used.
We would have walked to the top of the mountain if the weather hadn't been so bad.
If we'd moved to Scotland when I was a child, I would have a Scottish accent now.
If she was really my friend, she wouldn't have lied to me.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Do you know how to use third and mixed conditionals?
Third conditionals and mixed conditionals
Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause tells you the condition (If I hadn't been ill) and the main clause tells you the result (I would have gone to the party). The order of the clauses does not change the meaning.
If I hadn't been ill, I would have gone to the party.
I would have gone to the party if I hadn't been ill.
Conditional sentences are often divided into different types.
Third conditional
The third conditional is used to imagine a different past. We imagine a change in a past situation and the different result of that change.
If I had understood the instructions properly, I would have passed the exam.
We wouldn't have got lost if my phone hadn't run out of battery.
In third conditional sentences, the structure is usually: If + past perfect >> would have + past participle.
Mixed conditionals
We can use mixed conditionals when we imagine a past change with a result in the present or a present change with a result in the past.
1. Past/Present
Here's a sentence imagining how a change in a past situation would have a result in the present.
If I hadn't got the job in Tokyo, I wouldn't be with my current partner.
So the structure is: If + past perfect >> would + infinitive.
2. Present/Past
Here's a sentence imagining how a different situation in the present would mean that the past was different as well.
It's really important. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have called you on your holiday.
And the structure is: If + past simple >> would have + past participle.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello MortazaAyabenzer,
Yes, you could replace both forms with the past simple and it would also be correct. In this case, 'would' is not part of a conditional form. It is used here to refer to a habitual past action, which you can read more about on our Past habits page.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi MortazaAyabenzer,
The difference is as follows:
These people wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work if it weren’t for the addition of the movie theater.
This sentence tells us that the people had the opportunity to work in the past, and the speaker is imagining a situation in which this were different. It describes an imaginary past different from the real past. It does not tell us if the people still have the same opportunity in the present or not.
These people wouldn’t have the opportunity to work if it weren’t for the addition of the movie theater.
This sentence tells us that the people have the opportunity now, and the speaker is imagining a situation in which this were different. It describes an imaginary present different from the real present.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi MortazaAyabenzer,
Both sentences are possible.
If you use the form if it had not been for then the condition is rooted in the past. The addition of the movie theatre was a past event. There may be other events which provide opportunities today, but at that time the addition of the movie theatre was the only thing that gave opportunity.
If you use the form if it weren’t for then you show that the condition is something which is a generally true. It was true in the past and it is still true now.
You can see the difference more clearly in these examples:
In the first sentence (hadn't helped) her help is one action at a particular time in the past. In the second sentence (weren't so helpful), she is generally helpful - now as much as then.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Dan.hilton,
I'm afraid this isn't the sort of help we can provide. We're happy to explain points on our own pages which are not clear, or sometimes to explain aspects of the language which puzzle our users. Howeverr, we do not deal with tasks from elsewhere which may be part of another course, a test or come from homework.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Dan.hilton,
Sentence 4 expressed the same concept as sentence 3. It describles an alternative/hypothetical present situation. It does not refer to a particular act, but makes a general statement.
3) He wouldn't be able to cope if she didn't help him.
4) He wouldn't be able to cope if she wasn't so helpful to him.
In both sentences we understand that
and therefore
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team