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 Fri May 30, 2008 22:47 pm Second conditional vs third conditional |
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| Nola wrote: | Hello everybody
Could anybody tell me the difference between using the imaginary situations in the second conditional if as well as the third conditional if?
Nola |
1. First conditional: If I have enough money, I will go to Ireland.
2. Second conditional: If I had enough money, I would go to Ireland.
3. Third conditional: If I had had enough money, I would have gone to Ireland.
BTW, "the imaginary situations" should be expressed as "the subjunctive (mood, clause, etc)". |
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Haihao
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| Fri May 30, 2008 23:10 pm Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Thank you so much for your reply but i am afraid i didn't meant that. I know the difference between all the conditional types well but the confusion is in some examples in the second and the third conditional.
* If I were a bird, I would fly. (Second conditional and also it seems to be a wish)
The previous example is an imaginary situation but what i know is that we usually use the imaginary situations with the third conditional for example:
* If I had been a bird, I would have flown. (Can I use the third conditional in such a situation? and if so, then what's the difference between them?)
Nola
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Nola |
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Nola
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| Fri May 30, 2008 23:31 pm Second conditional vs third conditional |
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hi
the 3rd conditional usually somehow relates to life/reality in the past. So maybe change the sentence to;
If I had been a bird in my previous life, I would have flown far and wide. |
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stew.t.
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| Fri May 30, 2008 23:57 pm Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Hi Stew
Here in this part I'd like to ask about using wishes as well as using conditionals, for example,
** I wish the test was easy to pass it. (A wish for the present)
Does that sentence equals (If the test is easy, I will pass it.)?
Another example,
** I wish the test had been east to pass it. (A wish for the past)
Does that sentence equals (If the test was easy, I would pass it.)?
or (If the test had been easy, I would have passed it.)?
or both of them are correct?
I would be satisfied if I found an answer to my question.
Thank you
Nola |
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Nola
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Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 52
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| Sat May 31, 2008 8:27 am Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Hi Nola
Here is my two cents:
| Quote: | ** I wish the test was easy to pass it. (A wish for the present)
Does that sentence equals (If the test is easy, I will pass it.)? |
"I wish the test was easy to pass" tells you that the reality is this:
"The test isn't easy (and it won't be easy to pass it)."
| Quote: | ** I wish the test had been east to pass it. (A wish for the past)
Does that sentence equals (If the test was easy, I would pass it.)? No
or (If the test had been easy, I would have passed it.)? |
"I wish the test had been easy to pass." tells you that the reality is this:
"The test wasn't easy to pass."
The 'wish' sentence doesn't actually say whether you passed the test or not.
Hope that helps.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
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| Sat May 31, 2008 10:12 am Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Hi Amy
Thank you for your explanation but the same question is in using (if as well as wish) as in the previous examples.
** I wish the test had been east to pass it. (A wish for the past)
Does that sentence equals (If the test was easy, I would pass it.)?
or (If the test had been easy, I would have passed it.)?
or both of them are correct?
Thank you for everything.
Nola |
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Nola
You can meet me at english-test.net
Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 52
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| Sat May 31, 2008 10:38 am Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Hi Nola
| Quote: | | Does that sentence equals (If the test was easy, I would pass it.)? No |
No, the 'wish' sentence refers to the past, but your Type 2 IF sentence doesn't.
| Quote: | | or (If the test had been easy, I would have passed it.)? |
Part of the problem with trying to change "I wish the test had been easy to pass" to your Type 3 'IF' sentence is that the 'wish' sentence does not tell us whether or not you passed the test. However, to me it is closer in meaning because it refers to a test that was taken in the past.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7444
Location: Northeast US
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| Sat May 31, 2008 20:41 pm Second conditional vs third conditional |
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Many great thanks Amy. Now I got it.
Nola
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Nola
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