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THE THIRD CONDITIONAL THE MIXED CONDITIONAL
The third conditional, also called the “past unreal” conditional, is used
to describe unreal situations in the past. It is often used to express SECOND CONDITIONAL THIRD CONDITIONAL
regret about the past because the hypothetical situation that it
describes is now impossible as a consequence of another past action. The second conditional is used to talk about The third conditional is used to talk about
hypothetical situations in the present. hypothetical situations in the past.

UNREAL PAST SITUATION UNREAL PAST RESULT
PAST SIMPLE PAST PERFECT

This didn’t happen. So this didn’t happen either.

“WOULD” + INFINITIVE “WOULD” + “HAVE” + PAST PARTICIPLE

FURTHER EXAMPLES

MIXED CONDITIONAL
Mixed conditionals are usually used to talk about Unreal past.
hypothetical present reults of unreal past situations.

“Might” means this possibly
would have happened.
Unreal present.

FURTHER EXAMPLES Mixed conditionals are often
used to express regret.

“Could” means this possibly
would have happened.

HOW TO FORM

Mixed conditionals refer to future situations
“IF” “HAD” + PAST PARTICIPLE “WOULD / COULD / MIGHT” “HAVE” + PAST PARTICIPLE when used with future time markers.

The “if “ clause is the Using different modals changes the The conditional clause
unreal past condition. certainty of the imagined result. is the unreal result.

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