Speaking: Grammar in Speaking B2
Using 3rd & Mixed Conditionals in Discussions
Talking About "What If..." 🤔
To have deeper, more nuanced conversations, we need to go beyond talking about what *is* real. Advanced speakers often talk about hypothetical situations, especially when expressing regret, analyzing past mistakes, or imagining a different present.
Conditional Structures for Speculation
Function: To speculate about how the past could have been different. The condition and result are both impossible past situations.
"If I had saved more money last year, I would have bought a new motorbike."
(Reality: I didn't save money, so I didn't buy a motorbike.)
Function: To connect an unreal past condition to a present result. It shows how a past choice affects the situation *now*.
"If I had taken that job in Bangkok, I would be a manager now."
(Unreal Past: I didn't take the job. → Present Consequence: I am not a manager now.)
Tips for Sounding Natural
🗣️ Pronouncing Conditionals Fluently
To sound natural, native speakers almost always use contractions with these conditionals. Listening for these is key to understanding fast speech.
If I had...→ "If I'd..."...would have...→ "...would've..." (sounds like /wʊdəv/)...should have...→ "...should've..." (sounds like /ʃʊdəv/)...could have...→ "...could've..." (sounds like /kʊdəv/)
Practice: "If I'd known, I would've come earlier." This is much more common than the full form.
Practice Your Conditionals 🎯
💡 Practice Quiz: Choose the Correct Ending
1. If I hadn't spent so much money on my trip last month,...
A) I would have more money now.
B) I would be having more money now.
C) I would have had more money.
→ Answer: A. This is a Mixed Conditional. The past action has a clear result in the present.
2. The team would have won the game...
A) if the star player hadn't been injured.
B) if the star player wasn't injured.
C) if the star player wouldn't be injured.
→ Answer: A. This is a 3rd Conditional. The result is in the past, so the condition must also be in the past perfect.
3. He wouldn't be so tired today...
A) if he went to bed earlier last night.
B) if he would have gone to bed earlier last night.
C) if he had gone to bed earlier last night.
→ Answer: C. This is a Mixed Conditional. The result is in the present, so the unreal condition must be in the past perfect.
Key Vocabulary
- Hypothetical Imagined or suggested but not necessarily real or true.
- Regret A feeling of sadness about something that has happened, especially a mistake.
- Conditional A type of sentence that expresses a condition and its result.
- Speculate To form an opinion about something without knowing all the details or facts.
- Consequence The result or effect of a particular action or condition.
Your Mission: The "Sliding Doors" Challenge ⭐
Your mission is to speculate about how your life could be different.
- Think of an important decision you made in the past (e.g., your university major, your first job, a city you moved to).
- Use a 3rd Conditional to imagine how the past would be different if you had chosen differently.
Example: "If I had studied IT instead of accounting, I would have spent my university years learning to code." - Use a Mixed Conditional to connect that different past to your present.
Example: "And if I had studied IT, I would probably be working for a tech company now instead of a bank." - Record yourself explaining this "alternative life path" for 60 seconds. Focus on using the contracted forms (
I'd,would've) to sound more natural.