# 2. If Paco had known about the bad weather conditions, he would have changed his tour of the U.S.A.(introduction to conditionals)

> Third type conditional sentences are easily recognizable: they cannot be fulfilled because they refer to past actions. Let's study them.
> if you remember, you studied this kind of conditional, as well as type 1 and 2 in the previous unit -unit 5. But here you can revise the structure and meaning of conditionals.

# Importante

> He would not have had an accident if he had driven more slowly.

> Imagen de DYFL en Flickr. Licencia CC.

> First of all, there are 3 types of conditional sentences:
> - Type 1: If the weather is good tomorrow, we will go for a picnic in the country.
> - Type 2: If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house in Miami.
> - Type 3: If the weather had been good yesterday, we would have gone for a picnic in the country.

Type 1 conditional sentences are possible to fulfill:

> - She will do the shopping with us if she gets home early. (type 1)(it's possible that she will get home early)
> - If you hit me, I will call the Police. (type 1)it's possible that you will hit me)

> Type 2 conditionals are more hypothetical, less probable:
> - If I were the president, I'd reduce taxes. (type 2) (it's not very probable that I will be president)
> - If he studied hard, he would pass all his exams easily. (type 2)(but he doesn't want to study)
> However, conditional sentences type 3 are impossible. Their condition can't be fulfilled because they refer to the past. It is used to express a hypothetical result to a past given situation:
> - He would have arrived in time if he had left his house earlier.(he didn't leave his house earlier, so he didn't arrive on time)
> - If they had come to Chicago, they would have seen the Lake Michigan.(they didn't come to Chicago, so they didn't see Lake Michigan)

> Para empezar, hay 3 tipos de condicionales (igual que en español):
> - Tipo 1: If the weather is good tomorrow, we will go for a picnic in the country.(Si mañana hace bueno, haremos un picnic en el campo)
> - Tipo 2: If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house in Miami.(Si ganase la lotería, me compraría una casa grande en Miami)
> - Tipo 3: If the weather had been good yesterday, we would have gone for a picnic in the country.(Si ayer hubiera hecho Bueno, habríamos hecho un picnic en el campo)

Las condicionales Tipo 1 sentences son posibles de cumplir:

> - - She will do the shopping with us if she gets home early. (type 1)(it's possible that she will get home early)

> Ella hará la compra con nosotros si llega a casa pronto (Es possible que llega)
> - - If you hit me, I will call the Police. (type 1)it's possible that you will hit me)

> Si me pegas, llamaré a la policía (Es possible que me pegas)

> las condicionales tipo 2 son más hipotéticas, menos probables:
> - - If I were the president, I'd reduce taxes. (type 2) (it's not very probable that I will be president)

> - Si yo fuera president, bajaría los impuestos (no es muy probable que yo sea presidente)
>   - If he studied hard, he would pass all his exams easily. (type 2)(but he doesn't want to study)

> (Si estudiase mucho, aprobaría todos sus examenes facilmente)
> Sin embargo, las condicionales tipo 3 son imposibles. No se puede cumplir su condición porquese refieren al pasado. Se usa para expresarel resultado hipotético de una situación en el pasado:
> - - He would have arrived in time if he had left his house earlier.(he didn't leave his house earlier, so he didn't arrive on time)

> Habría llegado a tiempo si hubiera dejado su casa antes (no dejó su casa antes)
> - If they had come to Chicago, they would have seen the Lake Michigan.(they didn't come to Chicago, so they didn't see Lake Michigan)
> Si hubieran venido a Chicago, habrían visto el lago Michigan (no vinieron así que no lo vieron)

# Ejercicio Resuelto

A conditional sentence is made up of two parts: a main clause and the 'if' clause:

The 'if' clause states the condition :If it is sunny today

The main clause its consequence in the case that condition happens:we will go to the beach

Take into account that third conditional sentences are used to talk about unreal situations in the past, that is, things which did not happen in the past.
Have a look at these third type conditional sentences:

- If you had studied more, you would have passed.

- If you had asked your teacher for help, he would have helped you.

- If it had not started to rain, we would have gone to the exhibition.

VERY IMPORTANT: You can change the order of clauses, but then, you have to change the order of the verbal tenses too:
She would have come to the party if you had invited her= If you had invited her, she would have come to the party.
NEVER: She had come to the party if you would have invited her.

Try to deduce the structure of third conditional sentences.

| If Clause | Main clause
Conditional Type 1 | Present | Present / Future
Conditional Type 2 | Simple Past | Conditional would
Conditional Type 3 |  |

# Retroalimentación

| If Clause | Main clause
Conditional Type 1 | Present | Present / Future
Conditional Type 2 | Simple Past | Conditional would
Conditional Type 3 | Past Perfect | would have + past participle

# Comprueba lo aprendido

# Pregunta

Choose the appropriate second part of these third conditional sentences:
1. If the weather had been nicer, ...

# Respuestas

Opción 1

a. we would have played football in the park.

Opción 2

b. we would play football in the park.

# Retroalimentación

Correct.
Wrong. The conditional has to be would have + past participle.

# Solución

1. Opción correcta (Retroalimentación)
2. Incorrecto (Retroalimentación)

# Pregunta

2. If the boys had taken the bus to school, ...

# Respuestas

Opción 1

a. they would have arrive on time.

Opción 2

b. they would have arrived on time.

# Retroalimentación

Wrong. There is no past participle in the main clause.
Correct.

# Solución

1. Incorrecto (Retroalimentación)
2. Opción correcta (Retroalimentación)

# Pregunta

3. If he had spoken English, ...

# Respuestas

Opción 1

a. he would have understood the tourists.

Opción 2

b. he would understand the tourists.

# Retroalimentación

Correct.
Wrong. The conditional perfect has to be used and not the simple conditional because the action has taken place in the past.

# Solución

1. Opción correcta (Retroalimentación)
2. Incorrecto (Retroalimentación)

# Pregunta

4. 4. If you had bought some vegetables, ...

# Respuestas

Opción 1

a. a salad for dinner would have prepared.

Opción 2

b. we would have prepared a salad for dinner.

# Retroalimentación

Wrong. A salad for dinner is not the subject of the sentence and the word order is not correct.
Correct.

# Solución

1. Incorrecto (Retroalimentación)
2. Opción correcta (Retroalimentación)

# Curiosidad

2010 Federal Holidays

Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

Displays of fireworks, such as these over the Washington Monument, take place nationwide.

> Imagen de SSGT. LONO KOLLARS. Dominio público

Thursday, January 1 | New Year’s Day
Monday, January 19 | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 16 | Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 25 | Memorial Day
Friday, July 3 | Independence Day
Monday, September 7 | Labor Day
Monday, October 12 | Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11 | Veterans Day
Thursday, November 26 | Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 25 | Christmas Day

Taken from USA Government.

# Para saber más

Click here to learn about uses and formation of conditionals.

The structure of a third conditional sentence.

How much do you know about the passive voice? Don't worry, In the next section you are going to learn all about it.