Grammar: ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 6: Third Conditional (Hypothetical past: If I had studied, I would have passed.)

Grammar: Conditionals

B2 Lesson 6: The Third Conditional

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use the Third Conditional to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations in the past.

Why It Matters: Reality vs. Regret

We use the Third Conditional to look backwards and imagine a different past. It is the grammar of "what if," often used to express regret or reflect on past possibilities.

😐 The Reality (What really happened)

I didn't study for the exam, so I failed.

🤔 The Imaginary Past (What could have been)

If I had studied for the exam, I would have passed.

The Grammar Rule 📖

The Third Conditional has two parts: the 'if' clause (the imaginary past condition) and the main clause (the imaginary past result).

The Third Conditional Formula

If + Past Perfect, ... would have + Past Participle

• The 'If' Clause: Uses the Past Perfect (had + past participle).
  Example: "If I had known you were in town..."
• The Main Clause: Uses 'would have' + past participle.
  Example: "...I would have called you."

Note: The clauses can be reversed. If the 'if' clause comes second, there is no comma: "I would have called you if I had known you were in town."

💡 Pro Tip: Changing the Result with 'could' and 'might'

You can change the certainty of the imaginary result by replacing 'would have'.

'would have' (a certain result):
If I had saved more money, I would have had enough for a new motorbike.

'could have' (a possible result / opportunity):
If we had left earlier, we could have gotten better seats.

'might have' (an uncertain result):
If you had taken a different road, you might have avoided the traffic.

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences with the correct Third Conditional verb forms.

1. If I _______ (know) the restaurant was so expensive, I _______ (go) somewhere else.
   → Answer: had known / would have gone
2. We _______ (miss) our bus if you _______ (not wake up) on time.
   → Answer: would have missed / hadn't woken up
3. If I had studied harder, I _______ (pass) the exam.
   → Answer: would have passed
4. He _______ (not be) so tired today if he _______ (go) to bed earlier last night.
   → Answer: wouldn't have been / had gone

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

Imagining a Different Past

Write a full sentence using the Third Conditional for each situation.

1. Think about a small mistake you made yesterday.
   (Example: If I had remembered my umbrella, I wouldn't have gotten wet.)
2. Think about a good decision you made in the past.
   (Example: If I hadn't decided to study English, I wouldn't have met my best friend.)

Key Vocabulary

• Hypothetical (Adjective) | ជាការសន្មត
  Imagined or suggested but not necessarily real or true.
• Third Conditional (Noun Phrase) | លក្ខខណ្ឌទីបី
  A grammar structure for talking about unreal situations in the past.
• Regret (Noun) | ការសោកស្តាយ
  A feeling of sadness about a past mistake.
• Past Perfect (Noun Phrase) | អតីតកាលបរិបូណ៌
  A tense used for actions completed before another point in the past (had + past participle).