Third Conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past — situations that did not happen. It allows us to reflect on different outcomes that could have occurred if the past had been different. This can be particularly useful in daily conversations when expressing regret, relief, or curiosity about past events.

Structure

The third conditional is formed using the past perfect tense in the 'if' clause and the conditional perfect tense (would have + past participle) in the main clause. The structure is:

If + past perfect, would have + past participle

This structure shows that the result (main clause) is directly dependent on the condition (if clause) that did not happen in the past.

Examples with Explanations

1. If I had known about the meeting, I would have attended.

Here, the condition is "if I had known about the meeting". The result, "I would have attended", depends on this condition. The sentence implies that I did not know about the meeting, so I did not attend.

2. If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.

The condition is "if she had studied harder". The result is "she would have passed the exam". The sentence indicates that she did not study hard enough, so she did not pass.

3. If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.

"If they had left earlier" sets the condition. The result, "they would have caught the train", hinges on this earlier departure. The sentence suggests that they left late and missed the train.

4. If you had called me, I would have come to help.

In this sentence, the condition is "if you had called me". The result is "I would have come to help". The action of coming to help is dependent on the call that did not happen.

5. If we had booked the tickets earlier, we would have gotten a discount.

The condition is "if we had booked the tickets earlier". The result, "we would have gotten a discount", depends on booking the tickets early, which did not happen.

Exceptions

While the third conditional is generally straightforward, there are a few exceptions and variations:

Mixed Conditionals

Mixed conditionals can occur when the time in the if clause and the result clause are different. For example, "If I had worked harder, I would be successful now". This combination mixes past conditions with present results.

Other Modal Verbs

Instead of "would have", you can use other modal verbs like "could have" or "might have" to express different degrees of possibility or ability. For example, "If he had taken the job, he could have moved to New York".