We use the Third Conditional to talk about past situations that didn't happen — and imagine different results. It expresses regret, criticism, or reflection about the past.
🗣️ We're talking about the past, but imagining an alternative outcome.
👉 In Portuguese, it's similar to:
Se eu tivesse estudado, eu teria passado.
In English:
If I had studied, I would have passed.
| Part | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| If-clause (condition) | If + had + past participle | If I had studied harder |
| Main clause (result) | would have + past participle | I would have passed the test |
🟨 Full sentence:
➡️ If I had studied harder, I would have passed the test.
You can invert the order of the clauses — the meaning stays the same:
✅ Important: Only use one "had" — not "if I would have."
👉 This is a common Brazilian mistake, because in Portuguese we say "Se eu teria estudado..." — but in English, we never use would in the "if" part.
🗣️ Example:
If I had left home earlier, I wouldn't have missed the bus.
(But I left late — and I missed it.)
| Purpose | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Regret | If I had known, I would have helped you. | I didn't know, so I couldn't help. |
| Criticism | If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened! | You didn't listen, and something went wrong. |
| Reflection | If we had taken another route, we might have arrived faster. | Thinking about a different possible past. |
| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| If I would have gone, I would have seen her. | If I had gone, I would have seen her. | "Would" doesn't go in the if-clause. |
| If I studied, I would have passed. | If I had studied, I would have passed. | Missing the had + participle. |
| If I had went earlier... | If I had gone earlier... | Use past participle (gone), not simple past (went). |
| If I had studied, I will pass. | If I had studied, I would have passed. | Both verbs must refer to the past result. |
Think of it like "Double Past" logic:
🟢 Example chain:
Real past: I didn't study → I failed.
Imagined past: If I had studied, I would have passed.
| Direct Situation | Third Conditional |
|---|---|
| I didn't go to the party, so I didn't meet her. | If I had gone to the party, I would have met her. |
| He left his phone at home, so he didn't call you. | If he hadn't left his phone, he could have called you. |
| They didn't check the map, so they got lost. | If they had checked the map, they wouldn't have gotten lost. |