Welcome back to our exploration of conditionals! If you’re joining us for the first time, don’t worry, we’re here to guide you through. This post marks the exciting next chapter in our journey through conditional sentences. But before we delve into the complexities of third and mixed conditionals, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Have you checked out our first article, “Zero, First, and Second Conditionals”? It’s available here. Trust us, understanding these basics will make the upcoming topics much easier to grasp. So, if you’re ready, let’s get started!

Third Conditionals

Meaning: an unreal or imagined situation or event in the past.

Forms:

1. If + Past Perfect, would + have + V3 (most common)
2. If + Past Perfect, could + have + V3
3. If + Past Perfect, might + have + V3

Examples:

1. If we had paid our cleaner more, she wouldn’t have left us. (We didn’t pay her more, so she left us.)
2. If the spy had intercepted the message, he could have averted the crisis. (Perhaps, it was possible for the spy to avert the crisis in the first place. However, he didn’t intercept the message, so he didn’t avert the crisis eventually.)
3. It might have been easier to break the news if I had known her a bit better. (I didn’t know her better, so perhaps that’s why I was unable to easily break the news.)

We can use a prepositional phrase instead of an if-clause. For example:

1. I wouldn’t have done it without asking for permission first. (= I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t asked for permission first.)
2. But for its lack of a garden, we might have bought that house. (= If there had been a garden, we might have bought that house.)

For a more formal or literary style, we can put had before the subject. This is called inversion, and we are going to have a post about it soon, so be sure to subscribe to this blog not to miss the useful article. Examples:

1. Had the movie been released in the summer, it might have been more successful. (= If the movie had been released in the summer, … .)
2. Had it not been for his quick thinking, we would have fallen into the river. (= If it hadn’t been for his quick thinking, … .)

Third Conditionals for Criticism or Regret

The form “If + Past Perfect, could + have + V3” can be used to express criticism or regret. For example:

1. If you’d been driving* more slowly, you could have stopped in time.
2. I could have got the job if I’d performed better in the interview.

*”Had been + V-ing” is used here to emphasize the duration of the action. More examples like this:

1. If I’d been taking my time, I wouldn’t have made such a careless mistake. (I wasn’t taking my time, so I made a very careless mistake.)
2. If he’d been listening more carefully, he wouldn’t have misunderstood the instructions. (He was not listening, so he didn’t understand the instructions correctly.)

Mixed Conditionals

Meaning: imagining how a present situation would be different if an alternative past had occurred.

Forms:

1. If + had + V3, would + V (most common)
2. If + had + V3, would + be+ V-ing
3. If + Past Simple, would + have + V3

Examples:

1. If you hadn’t invited me, I wouldn’t be here. (Yet I’m here because you invited me.)
2. If your brother hadn’t had that promotion, he would still be working here. (He did have the promotion, so he no longer works here.)
3. If the island were still tourist attraction, more people would have died int he earthquake. (The island is no longer a tourist attraction, so fewer people died.)

Less Common Mixed Conditional Patterns

“My Grammar Lab Advanced” by M.Foley and D.Hall describes a few additional patterns, which are admittedly far less common than the ones we have mentioned so far. Consider them:

1. If + Past Simple, Future Simple / be going to
2. If + Past Simple, Present Perfect

Examples:

1. If they left at midnight yesterday, they will be/are going to be here by lunchtime tomorrow. (= I predict they will be here by lunchtime tomorrow provided that they left at midnight yesterday.)
2. If you gave them all your money, you’ve made a big mistake. (= You made a big mistake because you had given them all your money.)

Practice

Exercise 1. Click the link here and choose the right option. Note that this activity is about all the 5 types of conditionals (0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and mixed).

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences so that they are true for you. Then post them in the comments below to receive feedback only for grammar.

1. If I had enough money, … .
2. As long as I have enough time, … .
3. I always feel happy when … .
4. I would have been miserable if … .
5. I could have done better in one of my tests provided … .

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