B2 · Upper-IntermediateGrammar

Third & Mixed Conditionals

Imagining a different past and its results.

Third Conditional

If + Past Perfect, would have + past participle. For a past that didn't happen — regret or criticism.

If I had studied, I would have passed.
If we hadn't missed the bus, we wouldn't have been late.

Mixed Conditionals

We mix times: a past cause → a present result, or a present state → a past result.

If I had taken that job, I would be rich now.past → present
If I spoke French, I would have understood him.present → past
Tip: I wish / If only + Past Perfect = regret about the past: I wish I had listened.

Sample quiz questions

  1. If you had told me, I ___ you.
  2. If she ___ harder, she would have got the job.
  3. If I hadn't eaten so much, I ___ sick now.
  4. The sentence “If I would have known, I would have come.” is grammatically correct.

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