Second conditional: question form.

We spoke about the affirmative form of the second conditional, now what about the question form?

The answer to the below question is

“If I won the lottery, I would buy a boat.”

What is the question? There are two correct choices.

• If you won the lottery, you would buy a boat?

• You would buy a boat if you won the lottery?

• Would you buy a boat if you won the lottery?

• If you won the lottery, would you buy a boat?

If you won the lottery, you would buy a boat?

If you won the lottery, would you buy a boat?

The first question is wrong. Why

• Spelling.

• Word order. For question form we invert would and subject.

• Punctuation.

• Wrong tense.

For example.

He would visit my friend if he had the money.

Would he visit my friend if he had the money?

Can you see? The word order changes for questions.

• Great, let's do more.

• Yes, I understand. Let's continue.

It’s important to remember that word order changes with conditional questions, exactly the same as questions in present simple or past simple. We don’t say “Where you did go”, we say “Where did you go”. It’s the same with conditionals...we don’t say “Who you would talk to if...” we say “Who would you talk to if..”

Affirmative sentence:

I would ask my mum if I knew where she was. (would & verb + Past simple)

Question:

Who would I ask if I didn’t know the answer?

Who would you bring if you went to Disneyland?

Where would I go if it were raining?

As you can see, for questions the subject (I, you, he/she/it, we they) goes between would and verb, not before.

Where would you go? NOT Where you would go?

This is important! But, really....we learned this before.

• Of course, Mr Liam....we know that!

• Oh yea....that’s true!

• Really? I didn’t realize that....thanks.

If you finished your degree, you would leave Spain?

• Correct

• Incorrect

If you visited Ireland, you would eat some potatoes?

• Correct

• Incorrect

Would you swim if you went to Cadiz?

• Correct.

• Incorrect.

You would visit Big Ben if you went to London?

• Correct.

• Incorrect.

What __________ do if you knew the world was going to end?

• you would

• would you

• will you

Where ____________ go if you had five months holidays?

• did you

• you would

• would you