9A - Second Conditional.
When to use it?
The second conditional is used to express the consequence of an unrealistic action or situation in the present or future. The situation can be:
- Very improbable (1-5%)
- Completely unrealistic (0%)
For example, “If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.”, There is a very low probability (1%) that the first part of this sentence will happen. But if it happens, the second part is 100% certain.
“If I had more free time, I would play more sport.” I don’t have a lot of free time (0%), but if I did, the second part would be certain (100%)
How do we create the second conditional?
To make a sentence in the second conditional, we use:
If + past simple, would/wouldn’t + verb.
If I lived in a big city, I would go out more often.
If I lived in a big city, I wouldn’t need a car.
As with all conditionals, you can also invert the structure:
Would + verb if + past simple.
I’d go out more often if I lived in a big city.
I wouldn’t need a car if I lived in a big city.
As an alternative to would, we can complete the second part of a second conditional with could. For example:
If we lived in the city we could use the public transport
An exception about the verb “to be”
When we use the verb “to be” in the second conditional, the past form is always were and not was for the subjects I, he, she, and it. For example:
If I were rich, I’d spend all my time travelling.
If he were my boss, I’d look for another job.
If it weren’t so cold, we could go for a walk.
(Some native speakers, mostly young, use was instead of were while in an informal context, but the correct form is were.)
Understanding the second conditional
It can be tricky to understand when it’s right to use the second conditional instead of the first. I think it’s easier to remember that we normally use the second conditional when we talk about imaginary situations, dreaming about possible situations and how we would act consequently. For example:
If we were rich, we could buy a big house near the sea.
What would you do if your company offered you a promotion in another country?
He wouldn’t come to the party even if we invited him.
Polite requests
We also use the second conditional to make very polite requests. For example:
Would you mind if I used your computer?
Would it be ok if we sat here?
Would it bother you if I closed the window?
Exercises:
Oral practice, complete the sentences:
- If I could live in another country, I…
- If the weather is good this weekend, I…
- If I were the president, I…
- If I get bored this evening, I…
Reminder:
| Conditional 0
Si haces a pasa b | Opción 1: If + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en present simple) + Resultado (Oración con verbo conjugado en present simple)
Opción 2: Resultado (oración con verbo conjugado en present simple) + if + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en present simple) |
| Conditional 1
Si haces a va a pasar b | Opción 1: If + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en present simple) + Will + Resultado (oración con verbo en infinitivo)
Opción 2: Resultado (oración con verbo en infinitivo) + Will + If + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en present simple) |
| Conditional 2
Si pasase a pasaría b | Opción 1: If + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en past simple) + Would + Resultado (oración con verbo en infinitivo)
Opción 2: Resultado (oración con verbo en infinitivo) + Would + If + Condición (oración con verbo conjugado en past simple) |