Grammar reference and practice 7.2

7.2 ■ Second conditional

We use second conditional clauses to describe present and future situations that are imaginary or unreal. The past forms are used to show the situation is different from reality.

• If I met an alien, CONDITION If + past simple,

  I'd scream and run away. RESULT would ('d) + infinitive

As with first conditional sentences, the result can come first. In this structure, there is no comma.

• I'd scream and run away RESULT would ('d) + infinitive

  if I met an alien. CONDITION if + past simple

In the structure if clause + be, the form were can be used with I, he, she, and it. We often use If I were you … to give advice to someone. In spoken English, was is more frequent.

If I were you, I'd buy a new phone.

If Lily was / were good at languages, she'd learn Chinese.

We can use negatives in either or both parts of the sentence.

If I won a lot of money, I wouldn't waste it.

I wouldn't eat the food if I didn't like it.

In questions, we can start either with the condition or with the result.

What would you do if you were invisible?

If animals could talk, what would they say?

1Choose the correct words. 

• 1If I amwere eighteen, I'd learn to drive.

• 2What wouldwill you do if you didn't have to go to school?

• 3If Sheila would havehad a dog, she'd take it out for a walk every day.

• 4I wouldn't tell them about this if I bewere you.

• 5If it wasn't raining, I won'twouldn't need an umbrella.

• 6If you couldcan read people's thoughts, what would you do?

 2Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task.

• 1You  (can) become an entrepreneur if you borrowed €2,000.

• 2If we went by plane, we  (get) there quicker.

• 3If the world's population  (stay) the same, we'd still have energy problems.

• 4English  (not be) so important if they didn't speak it in the USA.

• 5If you had satnav, you  (not get) lost all the time.

• 6If we could go back in time, we  (find) the world a very different place.

3Match the imaginary situations to the imaginary outcomes. Then write conditional sentences. Begin with If I … . 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

1have lots of money

2can live anywhere

3make the law

4can have any skill

5can have any job

6be from Germany

• be an airline pilot
• buy a big football club
• speak German fluently
• choose Paris
• ban cars
• want to make people laugh

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6