Aly, if you were an animal, what would you be?
Oh! You'd be a dog
So that question that Tom just asked me "If you were an animal, what would you be?"
That situation is real? or imaginary?
Of course it's imaginary!
and for this, for Imaginary situations
We use the 2nd conditional
Now what's the form of the 2nd conditional?
Well it looks like this
So just remember: This is for Imaginary situations
look at the form again
It has a past verb with "if"
But it doesn't mean the situation is in the past
The Situation's now or in the future, but imaginary
So, you see "if" with a past verb, it just means an imaginary situation
Happening now or in the future
So let's imagine something different
This place is pretty boring, there's nothing really happening
Nothing here!
Ok so let's do this class in a different place!
I want snow, I want trees, I love Christmas
Let's go to Norway! Ok so imagine...
But remember, this situation
It's imaginary, it's not real!
I know what you're thinking, Why didn't I say if I WERE in Norway
Well you can!
That's completely fine!
If you say...
in a place
That is called the subjunctive mood
and the difference is formality
If you use the subjunctive mood it's more formal, basically
however if you just say "if I was...", "if he she it was..."
It's more common, and that's what you hear more often
Basically, in a test use subjunctive mood, it's more correct
In real life
its more common that we use "If I was..." "if he/she/it was..."
So
Okay, back to Norway!
Okay I'm imagining...
I'd be thinking
You know it's really cold here!
and now I want to be some place hot
Where am I?!
This is too hot! This is like the desert!
No!
okay imagine a different place
Yep this is exactly what I wanted!
We're on a beach!
Yeah we are!
Second Conditional???
Yep, Second Conditional!
Righto
Now we're ready for the beach!
Well except one thing
What?
If we were on a beach, We'd have some beer
Beer?
Beer!
So if we were on a beach, and we had beer
We'd get drunk!
Cheers!
So just remember: The form "if" plus a past verb just means "an imaginary situation"
Happening now or in the future
Now you know the second conditional, time for a test