SECOND CONDITIONAL

SECOND CONDITIONAL

Start

when using second conditional?

FIRST CONDITIONAL

SECOND CONDITIONAL

We use Second Conditional to talk about an unrealistic or impossible situation now or in the future.

We use the First Conditional to talk about real things that might happen.

vs

Probabily report: 0-5 % possibility ; 100% result

If this thing happened (but it’s very unlikely), this would be the result.

structure

There are two parts of a second conditional sentence. The first part contains a sentence "if" and the second part contains the consequence.

If + past simple, would + verbo

If + past simple, could + verbo

If I had a lot of money,

• I would buy a new car
• I could travel often

WOULD or COULD

The main difference between "would" and "could" in the conditional second is the degree of chance or probability that the action will happen. " Would" suggests a higher degree of certainty and implies that the action is more likely to occur

If you tried again, you would succeed [ possible result ] If you tried again, you could succeed [ ability ]

Exception for the verb 'to be'

We use the simple past to create the Second Conditional, but the situation is linked to the present or the future. It is not the past.

In Second Conditional, we normally use "'were" for all subjects and not "was" for I, he, she and it. For example,

If I were rich, I would buy a sports car. NOT If I was…

GIVE ADVICE

We often use Second Conditional to give advice using the phrase "If I were you, I’d...". It is common in both formal and informal situations. If I was you, I’d go to Rome by train. (In your position, this is what I would do.) And if we ask someone for advice, we can say: What would you do if you were me?

Thanks!

Michele Nicolai, Federico Grifoni