Imaginary Situations

Imaginary Situations

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In the last lesson, we checked that to talk about actions with a possible result in the present or future we can use the first conditional.

Imagine you go shopping and when you get to the store you see a jacket with a great discount.

You might say "If they have my size, I will buy it in red."

The possibilities are that they have it or not.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows an action with a possible result in the present?

• If he does a lot of exercise, he will live a healthier life.

• If he did a lot of exercise, he would live a healthier life.

• If he does a lot of exercise, he lives a healthier life.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence shows an action with the same result all the time?

• If you heat ice, it will melt.

• If you heated ice, it would melt.

• If you heat ice, it melts.

But now, let's suppose that you went in, asked for your size and they told you it is sold out.

You might say: If they had it in my size, it would match my new sneakers.

Now you know that your size is not available anymore and you are creating an imaginary scenario with that jacket that is not possible to have.

Second conditional

You are thinking of an imaginary situation.

We use the second conditional to talk about imaginary situations with a hypothetical result in the present or future.

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If that jacket was cheaper, I would buy it.

• The first sentence tells us that the jacket in fact is not cheap.

• The second sentence tells us the imaginary result if the the jacket were cheaper.

• But in the end it is not possible for me to buy it, it is just my imagination.

Multiple Choice

For the second conditional which are the used tenses?

• if + past simple, would + verb

• if + present simple, will + verb

• if + present simple, present simple

If we had more money, we could buy a bigger house.

We can also use would instead of would.

Multiple Choice

If Peter were here, he would know where to go for lunch.

• Correct

• Incorrect

Multiple Choice

I wouldn't buy that car if I were in your shoes,

• Correct

• Incorrect

If Peter were here, he would know where to go for lunch.

We know that the past simple form of be for I / he / she / it is: was but in the second conditional sentences we can use were instead.

If Peter was here, he would know where to go for lunch. (this is also correct)

When we want to give some advice, it is more common to use If I were...

I wouldn't buy that car if I were in your shoes.

We can also start with the imaginary consequence or result followed by the condition, just remember that in this case there is no comma