The second conditional

The second conditional

1. formation

   • if + past simple, + would+ base form
     • for example:
       • If I were you, I´d tell her

2. The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive

3. It has two uses.

   • we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true.
     • If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).
   • First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true.
     • If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)

4. The 2nd (second) conditional sentence structure is called the present unreal conditional or hypothetical conditional.