Home » Verb Forms and Tenses » Conditionals » Third Conditional
The Third Conditional is used to talk about the past. We use it to talk the past result of things which did or didn’t happen in the past.
Didn’t happen: If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam. (I didn’t study hard and so I didn’t pass).
Did happen: If you hadn’t got up late, you wouldn’t have missed the bus. (You got up late and you missed the bus).
We often use the third conditional to criticise others or to talk about our regrets.
| If clause, | Result clause |
| If past perfect, | Would + present perfect |
| If I had studied harder, | I would have passed the exam |
The structure can be reversed. In this case, do not use a comma.
| Result clause | If clause |
| Would + present perfect | If past perfect |
| I would have passed the exam | if I had studied harder |
When
The Third Conditional talks about unreal situations in the past, we can only use ‘If’. We cannot use ‘When’.
I would have bought that computer when it had been cheaper. Not Correct
I would have bought that computer if it had been cheaper. Correct
Alternatives to would
In the result clause ‘would have’ can be replaced by a past modal verb.
If I had gone to Egypt, I could have learned Arabic.
If you had asked me, I might have told you.
Click on these links to learn more about the Conditionals