Conditionals: third and mixed
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
I am so confuse about the mixed conditional (present/past), I feel it like time travel and make no sense, like the sentence:
I think it should be
I think every mixed condional (present/past) sentences they use as example in internet can be replace with the third conditional ones, except sentences with "if" clause are generally not true like: "If I were you"
Am I right?
Hello vinnh0412,
The condition in a conditional sentence must come before the result as otherwise it would involve time travel, as you say. However, sometimes the condition is a general one - something that is true in the past and the present - and in this case we can use a past simple form in the if-clause:
If Sue weren't such a nice person, she wouldn't have been invited.
Being a nice person is a general truth about Sue. It was true in the past and it is still true, so we can use the past simple without needing any time travel.
Your example is a little odd as being rich is not usually something that is generally true - our material status can and does change over time. However, clearly the speaker sees this as an inherent part of who they are rather than merely something true at a particular moment.
No, I wouldn't say that. Changing the form in the if-clause can change the meaning. For example:
If you weren't so rude, you might have got the job.
If you hadn't been so rude, you might have got the job.
The first sentence tells us that you are a rude person in general; it is a characteristic, not just behaviour at a given moment. The second sentence tells us only that you were rude at a particular moment - you may be a very polite person most of the time.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
2. If I hadn't eaten so many candies, I wouldn't have tooth decay
3. If I didn't have cats, I wouldn't have bought cat litter
Hello Winnie0900,
I will try to understand the meanings of the sentences you have written above:
Will anyone comment?
Shetu Yogme
Hello,
G.Russel is an active F1 driver.
What does "would've liked to have been" mean? It looks intimidating.
Thank you.
Hello Tony_M,
You're right, it is a bit of a mouthful! I'm not sure why Russell uses '...have been...' here, as it really refers to the present. Something like '...would have become...' or '...would have liked to be...' seem more logical as well as a bit less clumsy. However, when people are speaking freely they don't always produce standard patterns.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again Peter,
Thank you very much. 🙏 🙏 🙏
Are “would’ve become” and “would’ve liked to be” different?
To me they don’t mean the same thing:
“would’ve become” indicates that the time when he could’ve become a footballer is in the past, and in the present this option is not available anymore. He made his decision a long time ago, and now he is a driver. -> “I used to say that if I wasn’t a driver, I would’ve become a footballer” (in the past before I was asked this question, essentially).
“would’ve liked to be” indicates his preferences in the past and in the present. -> “I used to say that if I wasn’t a driver, I would’ve liked to be a footballer (in the past, before the question and in the present when the question is being asked, but in both cases the situation is unreal because he became a driver and he is a driver when being asked the question).
In other words, “would’ve become” is a completed action anchored in the past, but “would’ve liked to be” is more flexible or stretched, if you will. So, “would’ve liked to be” is in the past and now, but in both cases it’s impossible/unreal because he became a driver, and he’s still one in the present.
Is my understanding correct?
Hello again,
I wouldn't necessarily say that. Clearly, would have become describes something which can no longer be realised, as you say, but I think would have liked also suggests that the desire is anchored in the past. Otherwise, Russell would use a form like I have always wanted to be... or similar.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again,
Thank you, Peter.
I'm not sure that I understand the idea behind "I've always wanted to be..."
Wouldn't it be easier to use "I would be a footballer now" if he wanted to refer to a hypothetical present situation? -> If I hadn't become a driver, I would probably be a footballer now.
Hello again Tony_M,
The phrases describe different things. I would be... is about the fact of being a footballer, whereas I've always wanted to be... is about emotion/desire, which seems closer to the original sense.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team