Second conditional | Unreal conditionals

The second conditional describes an imaginary, impossible or unlikely situation in the present or future.

The situation is unreal or hypothetical.

The condition takes the past simple tense to reflect a distance from reality but the time is NOT in the past.

When we use the verb "to be" as a main verb, the tense is the past simple, subjunctive mood and not the usual indicative mood.

The structure of the result part of the sentence is:

subject + would + the base form of the verb.

"would" is a type of modal. We can use other modals in the second conditional, such as "might" and "could". I explain their meaning with clear examples in this video.

ESL students often ask the question: "What is the difference between the first conditional and the second conditional?" - Well I answer that question with a clear example and explanation.


The accent is a British English accent.

Here are some other related English lessons:

Videos:
Past simple tense:    • Past simple tense | English grammar r...  
Hear and listen vocabulary:    • Hear and listen - Difficult English w...  


Playlists:
All English conditionals :    • Conditionals in English grammar  
Grammar:    • learn English grammar  
General advice:    • How to improve your English  
Listening practice:    • English listening practice  
Vocabulary:    • learn English vocabulary  

Private English lessons & speaking practice: http://goo.gl/YjZXpT

Andrew,
Crown Academy of English
http://www.crownacademyenglish.com
  / crown_english  
   / crownacademyenglish  

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