Third Conditional Sentences With Examples
Table of contents
The third conditional, also known as the past unreal conditional, is used to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past and its imagined outcome. It is called the third conditional because it refers to the third possible outcome or consequence of a hypothetical situation. The structure of a third conditional sentence is:
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
Let's take a look at some examples to understand this better:
Example 1:If I had studied harder, I would have passed the test.This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It means that if the speaker had studied harder in the past, they would have passed the test. However, since they did not study harder, they did not pass the test.
Example 2:If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake.This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It means that if the speaker had known in the past that the listener was coming, they would have baked a cake. However, since they did not know, they did not bake a cake.
Example 3:If I had taken the earlier train, I would have arrived on time.This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It means that if the speaker had taken the earlier train in the past, they would have arrived on time. However, since they did not take the earlier train, they did not arrive on time.
Example 4:If we had left earlier, we would have avoided the traffic.This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It means that if the speakers had left earlier in the past, they would have avoided the traffic. However, since they did not leave earlier, they did not avoid the traffic.
Example 5:If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new house.This sentence expresses a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It means that if the speaker had won the lottery in the past, they would have bought a new house. However, since they did not win the lottery, they did not buy a new house.
In conclusion, the third conditional is used to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations in the past. It is formed by using the past perfect tense in the if-clause and "would have" plus the past participle in the main clause. We can see that the third conditional is often used to express regrets, missed opportunities, and alternative possibilities in the past.
Read how to make negative form in Third Conditional with examples.
Third Conditional Sentences Examples
1. If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.(She didn't study hard, so she didn't pass the exam.)
2. If they had left earlier, they wouldn't have missed the train.(They didn't leave early, so they missed the train.)
3. If he had known about the party, he would have come.(He didn't know about the party, so he didn't come.)
4. If you had called me, I would have picked you up from the airport.(You didn't call me, so I didn't pick you up.)
5. If she hadn't forgotten her umbrella, she wouldn't have gotten wet.(She forgot her umbrella, so she got wet.)
6. If we had saved more money, we could have traveled to Europe.(We didn't save enough money, so we didn't travel to Europe.)
7. If I had known it was your birthday, I would have bought you a gift.(I didn't know it was your birthday, so I didn't buy you a gift.)
8. If they had practiced more, they might have won the competition.(They didn't practice enough, so they didn't win.)
9. If he hadn't eaten so much, he wouldn't have felt sick.(He ate a lot, so he felt sick.)
10. If she had taken the medicine, she would have felt better.(She didn't take the medicine, so she didn't feel better.)
11. If we had known the truth, we would have acted differently.(We didn't know the truth, so we acted in a certain way.)
12. If you had warned me, I wouldn't have made that mistake.(You didn't warn me, so I made the mistake.)
13. If they had listened to the weather forecast, they would have brought their jackets.(They didn't listen to the forecast, so they didn't bring their jackets.)
14. If I had met you earlier, we could have spent more time together.(I didn't meet you early enough, so we didn't spend much time together.)
15. If she hadn't lost her keys, she wouldn't have been locked out.(She lost her keys, so she was locked out.)
16. If he had set the alarm, he wouldn't have overslept.(He didn't set the alarm, so he overslept.)
17. If they had booked the tickets in advance, they could have gotten a discount.(They didn't book in advance, so they didn't get a discount.)
18. If you had told me the truth, I would have understood.(You didn't tell me the truth, so I didn't understand.)
19. If she had applied for the job, she might have been selected.(She didn't apply, so she wasn't selected.)
20. If we hadn't missed the bus, we would have arrived on time.(We missed the bus, so we were late.)
Third Conditional Questions Examples
Read here how to make questions in third conditional.
1. Would you have come to the party if you had known about it?(You didn't know about the party, so I'm asking if that's the reason you didn't come.)
2. If she had had enough money, would she have bought that car?(She didn't have enough money, so I'm wondering if that's why she didn't buy the car.)
3. Would they have succeeded if they had tried harder?(They didn't try hard, so I'm asking if putting in more effort would have made them succeed.)
4. If you had seen the signs, would you have taken a different route?(You didn't see the signs, so I'm asking if seeing them would have made you choose a different path.)5. Would he have married her if she had accepted his proposal?(She didn't accept his proposal, so I'm wondering if that's the only reason they didn't get married.)
6. If we had known about the sale, would we have waited to buy the tickets?(We didn't know about the sale, so I'm asking if that knowledge would have made us wait to purchase.)
7. Would it have made a difference if I had apologized sooner?(I didn't apologize soon, so I'm wondering if doing so would have changed the outcome.)
8. If they had offered you the job, would you have accepted it?(They didn't offer you the job, so I'm asking if that's the only reason you're not working there.)
9.Would she have traveled more if she had had more vacation time?(She didn't have much vacation time, so I'm wondering if that's why she didn't travel more.)
10. If you had known the answer, would you have participated in the quiz?(You didn't know the answer, so I'm asking if that's the reason you didn't participate.)
Third Conditional Negative Sentences Examples
1. If I hadn't missed the bus, I would have arrived on time.
2. If she hadn't forgotten her umbrella, she wouldn't have gotten wet in the rain.
3. If we hadn't lost the map, we wouldn't have gotten lost.
4. If he hadn't overslept, he wouldn't have missed his flight.
5. If they hadn't ignored the warning signs, they wouldn't have had the accident.
6. If I hadn't eaten so much junk food, I wouldn't have felt sick.
7. If you hadn't left your phone at home, you wouldn't have missed important calls.
8. If she hadn't decided to stay at home, she wouldn't have missed the concert.
9. If we hadn't argued last night, we wouldn't have been upset this morning.
10. If he hadn't spent all his money, he wouldn't have been broke at the end of the month.
Here you can read more about negative sentences in Third Conditional and find more examples.
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● "Would Have" vs. "Could Have" in Third Conditionals
● Mixed Conditionals With Examples● Difference Between Second and Third Conditionals with Examples● What are Conditionals?