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 Ahmed Imam
Yes, both forms are correct but one or the other would be more appropriate depending on what time it is 'today'. The first one, for example, would make more sense towards the end of 'today', when what happened today is already the past. The second one would make more sense at the beginning of the day, when there is still time left today.
Does that make sense?
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello sasham
I'd need to know the full context to be sure, but it sounds to me as if this is another way of saying 'She was quite sure that if she were to meet (which is another way of saying 'met') Tolstoy, he would embrace her', which is a second conditional embedded in a 'that' clause. Does that make sense given the full context?
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello innocentashish420
Please look these words up in a dictionary -- I think that should clarify it for you. If not, please give a specific example and tell us a little more of what you understand or don't understand and we'll try to help you.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Roman...
That's very observant of you to notice that. In British English, we often use a plural verb with a collective noun, i.e. a noun that refers to a group of people. This is why the sentence says 'If Arsenal win ...'. You might hear some speakers of British English say 'If Arsenal wins', but in my experience most people say it the way it's written here.
In American English, 'If Arsenal wins' is the only commonly used form for this kind of thing.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team