CONDITIONAL

The Second Conditional

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

·         if + past simple, ...would + infinitive

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in formal writing).

It has two uses.

First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true. Maybe I'm imagining some dream for example.

·         If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)

·         If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.

·         She would travel all over the world if she were rich.

·         She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't happen)

Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:

·         If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).

·         If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

How is this different from the first conditional?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just a dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more likely that I'll have enough money to buy some shoes)

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1. THE FUTURE CONDITIONAL ( FIRST CONDITIONAL)

The future conditional describes something that might happen in the future with a condition. It often uses "if."

Examples:

If I go to the park tomorrow, I will bring my dog.

"If I go to the park tomorrow" is in the present tense.

"I will bring my dog" is in the future tense and uses a modal verb, will. You can use other modal verbs: can, might, should, must, etc.

Notice the use of a comma (,) at the end of the first clause. The use of "if" creates a dependent clause. The order of the sentence may also be reversed:

I will bring my dog if I go to the park tomorrow.

https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Orange%20Level/O12%20Future%20Conditional.html

2. THE PRESENT CONDITIONAL  (SECOND CONDITIONAL)

https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Orange%20Level/O13%20Present%20Conditional.html

The present conditional describes a situation now that isn't true or isn't happening. Teachers also call this the present unreal or present contrary-to-fact.

Example:

If I had a million dollars, I would give it away to all my friends.

"If I had a million dollars" is in the past tense, but it describes a possible situation (or impossible situation) in the present.

"I would give it away to all my friends" tells the outcome of the condition. You can use "would," "could," "might," or "should" in these kinds of sentences.

This next sentence uses the verb "be" in the present conditional:

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Well, I'm not you, so this describes a situation that is not true. Notice that "were" is used with "i." Isn't that strange? But it's correct.

Note: Some teachers refer to this as "the second conditional."

3. THE PAST CONDITIONAL

https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Orange%20Level/O14%20Past%20Conditional.html

The past conditional describes a past situation that never happened, or it did happen and the person speaking is describing the possibility of something not happening in the past. This is also called the past unreal or the past contrary-to-fact.

Here's an example:

If I had gone to that party, I would have had a good time.

(situation: I didn't go to the party; therefore, I didn't have a good time.)

"If I had gone to that party" uses the past perfect in this part of the sentence.

"I would have had a good time" is the likely result.

Sometimes you can do this without "if" and just use the past perfect:

Had I heard the weather report, I would have taken an umbrella.

or....

If I had heard the weather report, I would have taken an umbrella.

These are both good sentences, but the second one is used more often.

4. USING 'WISH'

https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Orange%20Level/O15%20Using%20Wish.html

Similar to conditional sentences are those that use "wish" to express something isn't true now, or it wasn't true in the past. To make sentences with "wish" properly, a knowledge of the Sequence of Tenses is important.

I wish I had more money.

(This describes a present situation. In fact, I don't have more money.)

She wishes he would talk to her more often.

(This also describe a present situation. Notice that the modal verb "would" is used here. "Would" and "could" are frequently used in these kinds of sentences.)

They wish they hadn't bought that house.

(This describes a past situation that can't be changed. They regret their decision, but you can't change the past. Notice the use of the past perfect after "wish.")