Podcast 55 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Mixed conditionals

Conditional sentences can be mixed depending on meaning

Hello and today I'm going to talk to you about mixed conditionals. So that's getting your second and third conditionals and putting them all in a bowl and mixing them up!

Now that sounds interesting, doesn't it? So let's have a look at what mixed conditionals are then and why we use them. We've seen second conditional and third conditional. Now if you think about third conditional, we talk about the past, don't we? So I think I had a sentence in the podcast on the third conditional, which was something like,

Studying mixed conditionals

If I had studied more, I would have passed my exams.

So both those clauses, the if clause and the main clause are in the past. If I had studied more, I'm talking about the past. I would have passed my exams - in the past.

Third conditional plus second conditional

Now, there are times when we want to say something a bit different. We may refer to the past and then we want to say how the past affects the present.

If I had studied more, I would have my qualifications.

Now, I would have my qualifications - qualifications (exams), which are awarded to you. We call them qualifications. It could be a degree. It could be a diploma. So if I had studied in the past, I would have my diploma now. So you can see I'm mixing two conditionals The first one is the third conditional - if I had studied more, and the second clause is the second conditional or part of the second conditional - I would have my diploma now.

If I had taken that job, I would be a rich man now.

Yes, that's right. I remember I was offered a job, and it was an executive job. It looked well, quite interesting. But I wasn't really interested, I suppose. I didn't think it was the job for me. So I didn't take the job. But looking back, I suppose it might have been useful, because I would have made so much money and I would be a lot richer - a lot wealthier now. So the mixed conditional sentence is, if I had taken that job, I would be richer now. Past tense plus a present, if you like, third conditional plus part of a second conditional.

If John hadn't spent all his money, he would be able to buy those trousers.

So in the past, he spent all that money and so now he can't buy the new trousers.

Second conditional plus third conditional

Now, there is a different situation, where we can use mixed conditionals but this time, the if clause is in the present and the main clause is in the past. So that happens when we talk about something that perhaps didn't happen in the past because of a present situation, or really, it's because of a general situation, but we express it in the present. Hmm. Oh, dear. Now that sounds complicated now, doesn't it? Well, let's look at an example.

If I wasn't afraid of spiders, I would have gone to see that film.

You know, that film called Arachnophobia. If I wasn't afraid of spiders. So the if clause is in the present, if you like, well, it talks about a present situation I suppose that's always like that. It's a second conditional, isn't it? If I wasn't or if I weren't afraid of spiders - now or always - I would have gone to see that film. So the main clause is talking about something I didn't do in the past. I didn't go to see that film because I'm always afraid of spiders.

If John were taller he would have been a good basketball player.

If John were taller, now it's not referring to the past, it's referring to well, you can say always - if he were taller, or if he was taller but he's not! It's a hypothetical situation. But if he were taller, he would have been a good basketball player when he was younger.

Another example,

If I wasn't/weren't so busy all the time, I would have helped you with your English homework.

But I'm always busy. So I didn't help you with your English homework because I didn't have time. I never have time. I'm always busy.

Okay, so there are the two situations where we generally mix the conditionals. So the first one that I talked about, is where the if clause refers to the past.

If I had studied, I would have my diploma now.

And then the other possibility is when the if clause refers to the present or something which is always like that. For example,

If I weren't afraid of spiders (but I always am), I would have gone to see that film.

That's all for now.

Try these exercises on mixed conditionals...