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 realy having a great experiences learning the past topics I had learned during my studies. I didn't know after almost a decade out of school, I still remember some grammar topics. I encourage anyone doubting himself/herself to come here and practice 😊😊👌.
3rd and mix conditional are always a confusion
Yes, I keep in touch with my old school friends. It’s difficult to find a day to go out, but once a year we try to get together. It is great fun to talk about old times and see each other.
How is this correct?
If I hadn't got the job in Tokyo, I wouldn't be with my current partner.
this eg under mixed conditionals, shouldn't it be ''If I hadn't gotten the job...." ??
Hello anything,
The standard third form for the verb 'get' is 'got' [get > got > got]. In informal speech in the US people sometimes use the form 'gotten' as an alternative.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
The first part of the sentence is correct because British English doesn't use the third form of the word "get". The third form is the same as the second form "got". However, Americans always say "gotten" instead of "got". This is a dialectal difference between American English and British English.
Hello George5,
Gotten is used in certain US dialects, but it is not 'always' used.
Gotten is actually a form which originated in the UK but passed out of common usage there. Even so, it can be found in certain dialects, particularly with the meaning 'become'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I don't get why this one is the mixed type: "If you had started studying earlier, you'd feel more prepared for the exam". Since there is no time expression in the main clause, we can also use "would have felt". Therefore, both "would feel" and "would have felt" would be correct, right?
Hello sparklingwater22,
'Mixed conditionals' really refers to conditional sentences in which there is a different time reference in each clause: past + present, for example, or past + future.
Your example can use would feel or would have felt, as you say, but there is a difference in meaning:
Both sentences describe an unreal past situation: the person ('you') did not start studying earlier. Sentence 1 describes a present result (you'd feel like this now), while sentence 2 describes a past result (you'd feel like that then). From this, we can infer that in sentence 1 the exam has not taken place yet whereas in sentence 2 it has.
Sentence 2 is 'mixed' because there are two time references: past + present.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team