Second conditional

Second conditional

What is it?

We use the second conditional to talk about unreal conditions, something in the present which is NOT possible
tzv. co by bylo, kdyby

would + infinitive

Main clause - hlavní věta

If + past simple,

Conditional clause - vedlejší věta podmínková

Formation of the second conditional

​e.g.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.

(I probably won't win the lottery)

More examples

• 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)

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

• If you weren't so lazy, you wouldn't have any problems at school.

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

What is the difference?

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

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

the condition is much more unlikely, impossible!

refers to the present

e.g. 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)

Second cond.

the condition is real, possible

refers to the future

e.g. 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)

First cond.

First vs. Second conditional

Quiz time!

Multiple Choice

Is this sentence correct? "If I had my own car, I wouldn't have to bother my parents about giving me a lift to town.

• Yes
• No

Multiple Choice

And this one? "I would be so stressed if I had more time to relax."

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

And this one? "They would help you if you asked them nicely."

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

And this one? "If I known how to fix the car, I would do it myself."

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

What about this one? "If I were taller, I could reach the top shelf."

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

Give me an example of the second conditional sentence.