A quick tutorial on how to use and write the third conditional or unreal conditional in the past. It also has an exercise at the end.

1. Unreal Conditional in
the Past
David Estrella Ibarra, MBA, CELTA

2. Unreal Conditionals in Past: Use
 To talk about past unreal, or imagined conditions
and their results.
 It describes events that are the opposite of what
happened.

3.  Conditional statement:
If I had the car brakes looked at by the
mechanic, I wouldn´t have crashed today.
 What was the real situation?
I crashed my car this morning because the
brakes didn’t work.
Unreal Conditionals in Past: Use

4. Answer these questions
• Why do we use the unreal conditional in the
past?
• How many parts do conditional statements have?
• How do we call these parts?

5. Unreal Conditionals in Past: Use
• Use would have in the result sentence to
mean regret
• If Mario had made the home run,
we would have won the game.

6. • Use could have in the result sentence to
mean possibility
• If Goku had done the Kame Hame Ha,
he would have defeated Freezer.
Unreal Conditionals in Past: Use

7. • Use might have in the result sentence to
mean uncertainty about the result
• If Batman had used a better bike,
he might have outrun The Flash.
Unreal Conditionals in Past: Use

8. Answer these questions
• What does would have describe in the
result sentence?
• What does could have describe in the
result sentence?
• What does might have describe in the
result sentence?

9. Unreal Conditionals in Past
• Unreal conditionals in the past have two
parts
• The if clause (a clause is a group of words
that have a subject + verb)
• The result sentence

10. • How many parts are there in a past unreal
conditional statement?
• How do we call these parts?
• What is a clause?
Answer these questions

11. Unreal Conditionals in Past:
Form
If Clause (unreal condition)
If + subject + had + verb past participle,
Result Sentence (what would have
happened)
subject + would (not) have + past participle.
could (not) have
might (not) have

12. Answer these questions
• How do we form the if clause?
• How do we form the past participle of
regular verbs?
• How do we form the past participle of
irregular verbs?
• What three modal verbs can we use in
the result sentence?

13. Unreal Conditionals in Past:
Form
Result Sentence (what would have happened)
Subject + would (not) have + past participle.
could (not) have
might (not) have
If Clause (unreal condition)
If + subject + had + past participle

14. Answer these questions
• What does the if clause tells us?
• What does the result sentence tells us?
• Identify the if clause and the result clause in
this sentence.
I might have passed the quiz if I had studied.

15. Now you do it!
Write a sentence about this picture:
If someone (check) the wheels, they (fall off) .

16. Write a sentence about this picture:
Now you do it!

17. Write a sentence about this picture:
Now you do it!

18. Homework
• Go to the class Facebook.
• Download the worksheet.
• Do it in your home.
• Bring it next class.

19. Questions or comments?
destrell@espol.edu.ec
or
www.Facebook.com/English.class.with.
David.Estrella