Grammar

Second Conditional

Use the second conditional for unreal, hypothetical, or unlikely situations in the present or future, and their imagined results.

Post

Level B2 Conditionals

Summary

Use the second conditional for unreal, hypothetical, or unlikely situations in the present or future, and their imagined results.

Structure

if + past simple, ... would + base verb

Examples

If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.
She would be happier if she had more free time.
If I were you, I would accept the offer.
What would you do if you lost your job?

Common mistakes

• Use 'were' for all subjects in the if-clause: 'If I were you', not 'If I was you' (in standard English).
• Don't use 'would' in the if-clause: NOT 'If I would win' → 'If I won.'

Related

First Conditional Third Conditional Mixed Conditional

More conditionals

First Conditional B1

Use the first conditional for real or likely situations in the future and their probable results.

Zero Conditional B1

Use the zero conditional for facts and things that are always true — when one thing happens, the result always follows.

Third Conditional B2

Use the third conditional to talk about imagined past situations that did not happen, and to express regret or criticism about the past.

Mixed Conditional C1

Use a mixed conditional when the time of the condition and the time of the result are different — for example, a past condition with a present result, or a present condition with a past result.

Wish / If Only (Present) B2

'Wish' and 'if only' with a past tense express a desire for a present situation to be different. The past form is unreal — it signals dissatisfaction with how things are now.

Wish / If Only (Past) B2

'Wish' and 'if only' with the past perfect express regret about the past — a desire that something earlier had been different. They look back at choices that can no longer be changed.

External links

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