Conditionals: third and mixed

Conditionals: third and mixed

Do you know how to use third conditionals and mixed conditionals? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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

Conditionals 2: 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

Conditionals 2: Grammar test 2

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Submitted by Aung Qui on Mon, 14/10/2024 - 09:18

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Hello,

Although I understand conditionals very well, I am still confusing the time frame. Could you explain these sentences? Why I am wrong?

We wouldn't have been late if you hadn't taken such a long time getting ready.

If you hadn't seen the car, it would hit us back there.

They would have seen the fireworks if they were here 15 minutes earlier.

Thank you for your marvellous work!

 

 

 

Hello Aung Qui,

All of these sentences describe unreal situations in the past with past results.

We wouldn't have been late if you hadn't taken such a long time getting ready.

This sentence is correct. It takes a past situation (you took a long time getting ready) and its past result (we were late) and describes how things might have been different. You could also make the sentence about a present result (we are late now) of the same situation (you took a long time getting ready):

We wouldn't be late if you hadn't taken such a long time getting ready.

 

If you hadn't seen the car, it would hit us back there.

The mistake here is in the result clause. The sentence describes the past, not the present, so would have + verb3 is needed:

If you hadn't seen the car, it would have hit us back there.

 

They would have seen the fireworks if they were here 15 minutes earlier.

Here the error is in the if-clause. Again, the sentence describes the past so had + verb3 is needed:

They would have seen the fireworks if they had been here 15 minutes earlier.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by serenitymind on Tue, 01/10/2024 - 00:21

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I found this topics is really helpful. I found myself sometimes struggling to talk about third/mixed conditionals. But now I have better understanding because of this page. Just to put it into practice: I wouldn't have better understanding now if I hadn't done the exercise in this page.

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Submitted by Tony_M on Thu, 29/08/2024 - 02:43

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Hello,

YouTube, Adam Levine Gets Scared by a Giant Rat, TheEllenShow

Adam Levine: Through the glass door, I saw the dog food and the biggest, grossest, gnarliest rat I'd ever seen in my life eating the dog food.
Ellen: You weren't scared; I know you're only scared of bees.
Adam Levine: Yeah, so ran after this rat. I don't know what I was going to do if I caught it.

Shouldn't it be 'what I would've done if I'd caught it' in the last sentence?
Now he's speculating about the past, imagining a situation that's the opposite of what actually happened. I think we need Type 3 here. If he wanted to describe his feeling in the very moment of chasing the rat, he would need to use 'I didn't know what I was going to do, if I caught it', it would be Type 1 moved one tense back.

Thank you

Hello Tony,

Both forms are possible. 

In the present, if the speaker were relating events in real time, the sentence would be as follows:

I don't know what I am going to do if I catch it.

When reporting the situation the verbs shift back:

I don't know what I was going to do if I caught it.

This is an example of what is often called future in the past. Note that here you could also use I didn't know, which would indicate the speaker's lack of knowledge at the time and not necessarily in the present.

 

It's possible to use a past hypothetical form here too:

I don't know what I would have done if I had caught it.

Note that this is necessarily a retrospective description - it is looking back with the benefit of hindsight, not describing the speaker's feelings at the time. For this reason, you can't use I didn't know here.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by TanyaSha on Thu, 08/08/2024 - 14:28

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Good day!

I've got a question related to the mixed conditionals:

If Mike had started working on his project earlier, he might have finished it by now/ he might finish it by now.

Which alternative is correct? Can we use both? if yes, can you help me to understand in which context? 

Thank you in advance.

Hello TanyaSha,

Of these two options, only 'he might have finished it by now' is correct. In this case, it isn't really a mixed conditional but rather a third conditional. It refers to an imaginary situation now: him finishing the project now when in fact he hasn't finished it.

A correct alternative to 'he might finish it by now' is 'maybe he'd be able to finish it now'. This refers to a possible outcome in a present situation that hasn't finished yet. The problem with 'by now' is that it refers to a closed time period, which is incongruent with 'might', which refers to a future change in the situation.

I hope that makes sense.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Thank you so much for the quick response! Actually, yes, it really makes sense.

One more question:

Can we use 'by now' in the second conditional or mixed conditional or it's more typical for the third conditional? 

Hello TanyaSha,

OK, great, I'm glad that was helpful.

If the idea of something happening before a particular time makes sense in the situation described, then in general 'by now' is probably correct, but otherwise I'm afraid it's difficult to generalise about what structures we can or cannot use 'by now' in. 

If you have some specific sentences in mind, feel free to ask us about them.

Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

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Submitted by suma_k on Mon, 29/07/2024 - 11:45

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In the Grammar test 1, I think when of the sentences is wrong.

If my grandmother _____ alive, she would have loved to see me graduate.

the show answers button says that the correct answer is "were", but I think that the correct answer is "was".

Am I right about it?