The third conditional (also called conditional type 3) is a structure used for talking about unreal situations in the past. This is the way we imagine how things could have been different in the past.
We use the third conditional to talk about:
When we use the third conditional, we are talking about an impossible past condition. The condition was not and cannot ever be true because it is over and in the past. This also means the result is impossible because the condition is impossible.
The third conditional contains:
The third conditional uses the Past Perfect in the ‘if’ clause and the Past Participle in the result clause.
Just like the second conditional, the ‘if’/condition clause has a comma at the end if it comes first. There is no comma if the ‘if’/condition clause comes second, after the result clause.
We can make positive, negative, and interrogative sentences using the third conditional. We can also use ‘should have‘, ‘could have‘, and ‘might have‘ with modals.
We can also use the contracted form in each clause.
Let’s summarize different types of conditional sentences:
Here’s a good video from Learn English on Skype explaining when and how to use the third conditional:
Read more on conditionals:
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