In the listening lesson “The Chair!”, I talked about how I attempted to assemble an outdoor chair.

I said:

This is an example of the 3rd conditional sentence structure. It is also called the past unreal conditional or past hypothetical conditional.

It is used to imagine a different past than the one that happened. The if clause is unreal – it did not happen. The result is what would have happened if the if clause were real:

Was I overly confident? Yes, I was. I am imagining what would have happened if I had not been so confident.

Did I pay attention to the instructions? No, I didn’t. I am imagining what would have happened if I had paid attention to the instructions.

What would have happened if I had done those things? The result:

The 3rd conditional form:

NOTES:

*the past perfect tense = had + past participle

*in spoken English, subject + would AND subject + had are usuallycontracted:

*Because you are imagining the past, you can ONLY use if. In this sentence structure, you cannot use when, after, or any other time conjunction

Common uses of this sentence structure:

1. What would you have done if … ?

What would you have done if you hadn’t been accepted at any university?

What would you have done if we hadn’t been there to help?

What would you have done differently if you had known you would never speak to him again?

2. If I had known…

If I had known that you needed help, I would have come!

If we had known you were sick, we would have gone to visit you in the hospital.

We wouldn’t have driven all this way if we had known the museum was closed.

If I had known that you needed a ride to school, I would have driven you.

I really wanted to see that movie! If I had known you were going, I would have gone with you!

3. You can use this sentence structure to express regret about something in the past, and to wish the past had happened differently.

If we had known the movie was so awful, we wouldn’t have wasted our money on it.

If I had finished high school and gone to university, I would have gotten a better job.

4. You can use this structure to criticize someone/something or point out mistakes:

If you hadn’t stayed out so late last night, you wouldn’t have slept in and been late for work!

It would have been quicker if we had taken a taxi to the park instead of walking.

More example sentences:

If I hadn’t gone to the party, I would have never met my husband.

We would have gone out last night if we hadn’t been so tired.

If his brother hadn’t reminded him, Dan would have forgotten his wife’s birthday.

If she had seen the ice on the road, she would have slowed down and she wouldn’t have gotten in an accident.

Other modal verbs can be used in the result clause:

might have + past participle = maybe

If I had known you would be at the party, I might have gone.

If I had known about his police record, I might not have dated him.

If he had finished high school, he might have had a better life.

If she had been wearing her seatbelt, she might have survived the car accident.

could have + past participle = possibility or ability

I could have been a world-class swimmer if I had practiced more when I was younger.

If I had known you didn’t have a car, I could have driven you to the meeting.

If my parents hadn’t lent me money, I could never have afforded university.

If you had told me the TV was broken, I could have fixed it for you!

It is possible to use the past perfect continuous in the if clause…

If you had been watching where you were going, you wouldn’t have hit your head!

If she had been paying attention in class yesterday, she would have heard that we have a quiz a today.

…OR  would + present perfect continuous in the result clause…

If you had been at the party, you would have been laughing at his outrageous outfit too!

If you had told me that you weren’t coming, I wouldn’t have been standing there like a fool waiting for you!

…but NOT both at the same time!

If you have trouble with conditional sentences, please read Conditional Sentences: An Introduction

Practice

Quiz #1 – English Page

Quiz #2 – University of Victoria

(clicking on the links will take you to another website)