Third Conditional

Third Conditional

Unreal situations

We use the third conditional to talk about unreal situations. The condition is impossible, because we can’t change what really happened. Consequently, the result is also impossible. 

Example

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED:

You wеnt for a long walk, but you did not takе your umbrеlla. It rainеd, and you got Wеt.

UNREAL SITUATION:  

If I hаd tаkеn mу umbrellа, I wouldn,t hаve got wet

Structure:

if + past perfect  + would have + participle  

• Condition: If you had talked to me before,                  

• Result: I would have helped you  

We can also put the condition clause at the end

"I would have helped you if you had talked to me before"

We can use other modal verbs in the result clause: 

• Could have + participle: If you had told me, I could have helped you                                                                                           

• might have + participle: If I had the tools, I might have been able to fix it