Everyone thinks that the third conditional is the most difficult conditional and that's really
silly! Yes it's very silly! Let's find out why! My name is Toby, this is SMASH English and here
is everything you need to know about the third conditional for the B2 First Cambridge exam!
Why is the third conditional so easy? Because it only has one use! To talk about an imaginary
past! We are talking about the past that never happened. Toby... That's me... Started SMASH
English and published this video! Yes? Yes! That is true! If Toby hadn't started SMASH English
he wouldn't have published this video. Did Toby start SMASH English? Yes I did, so the IF clause
is talking about an imaginary past situation. Did Toby publish this video? Well, yes I did! So the
RESULT clause is talking about the imaginary past result of this imaginary past situation.
So we use the third conditional to talk about an imaginary past situation and the imaginary
result of that past situation? Yes, Toby! Yes we do! Wow, Toby! That's so easy! Yes I know it is!
Toby started smash english and he published this video. That is the real past. If Toby
hadn't started SMASH English he wouldn't have published this video. That is the unreal past.
Oh my God... What are you doing?! That's disgusting!
I drank too much so i vomited... yeah.... sorry, mate! I'll... I'll clean it up all right?
Yeah... You're disgusting! Do you think that's normal!? I'm recording a video you bloody idiot!
Ugh! Oh dear! Bruce drank too much so he vomited. Here we are talking about the
real past, this unfortunately really happened. How can we make this unreal? Well let's talk about an
imaginary past and talk about what happened in our unreal world, the world that exists in our head
where all of my friends live! They're not your friends, Toby! We are your friends!
I have no friends. If Bruce hadn't drunk too much he wouldn't have vomited.
But yeah, Bruce did drink too much and he did vomit. Let's look at the grammar then!
Yes! IF plus SUBJECT plus PAST PERFECT plus SUBJECT plus WOULD plus HAVE
plus the PAST PARTICIPLE. Yeah, yeah. That... that's it! Really easy... Right?
OK, so this one looks the most difficult because the grammar structure is the longest but
just learn the grammar structure and then you know everything! The zero conditional
and the first conditional have many uses! Watch my videos on them if you don't know the uses but
they're a lot more complicated than the third conditional. Third conditional = imaginary
past. Done! Wow! We are geniuses, together, you and me. Subscribe! Thank you! Bye bye!
Now you, Monica, what are you doing!? Uh I'm exercising! I've got to get hotter!
Um why? It's Johnny! He's got a new girlfriend and I want to make her really really jealous about how
hot his ex-girlfriend is, that's really sexy! Way more sexy than her! Yeah okay sure yep...
Oh no! Monica was exercising and then she fell over! Let us invent an imaginary past for Monica
but remember, we have a past continuous tense here!
That means instead of using the past perfect in the IF clause we should use the past
perfect continuous! Wow! That's my favorite tense! If Monica hadn't been exercising
she wouldn't have fallen over! But unfortunately she was exercising and she did fall over...
Now let me tell you a secret! Wow! A secret on a video published on youtube!? Yes a secret!
English people get this conditional wrong all the time! OMG if English people get this conditional
wrong then how can I get it right? Don't you worry! I will give you all the information
you need to use the third conditional better than english speakers use the third conditional! Wow!
Amazing! I'm a very generous man! English people will often say WOULD OF instead of WOULD HAVE.
This is because in spoken English the third conditional is almost always contracted. If
Toby hadn't started SMASH English he wouldn't have published this video. Wouldn't have. This makes
the 'VE sound of HAVE sound very similar to OF. Also some people add an extra "uh" an extra SCHWA
sound in the first clause. For example instead of saying If Toby hadn't started this channel he
wouldn't have published this video they say if Toby hadn't've started this channel he wouldn't
have published this video. And I do this because it's nice to say! It adds symmetry, it adds rhythm
to the conditional! If i hadn't've done that I wouldn't have done this! But it's wrong! So don't
do it! Even if it sounds wonderful! If I hadn't've I wouldn't've... It doesn't exist! It's...
it's me.... it's me... yeah. Toby this is all very interesting but can we change anything about the
grammar!? Well we can, but only two things. Yes! Only two things! We can change WOULD to MIGHT.
We do this to demonstrate that our imaginary result is a maybe instead of a definitely.
I can't believe Johnny broke up with me he is going to regret it so much when he sees
my sexy new body! Well, Monica, if you had shaved your beard he might not have broken up with you!
Bruce, that is a horrible thing to say! I love Monica's beard! Here Monica did not
shave her beard and Bruce is suggesting that this was a bad idea! In fact
in Bruce's imaginary past Monica and Johnny have the possibility of still being together!
It's not definite but it is a possibility. We will never know though, this is the third conditional
after all! Everything is imaginary. And we can change WOULD to COULD to talk about ability,
imaginary ability in the past... or possibility an imaginary possibility in the past. Oh yeah!? Well
if you hadn't said that you could have had the chance to be my new boyfriend but now no way!!
I am sorry, Bruce. Bruce offended Monica and has ruined his chances of having the love of his life!
How terrible for him! Uh I am single though, Monica! So please don't forget about me!
Oh no, Monica! I'm so sorry! Oh okay then, Bruce! I forgive you! Um okay let's go on a date then
tomorrow at about seven because Johnny's going to this restaurant with his new girlfriend and
I think we could go there too and we can show him that we're such a sexy couple together. Well
one of us is really sexy in this couple so we can go and show him that person.... which is me.
And with that we are finished! Seriously now you know everything you need to know
about the third conditional for the B2 First Cambridge exam! If you liked
the video don't forget to SMASH that like button, subscribe if you haven't already,
leave a comment down below! My name is Toby and this was SMASH English.