Third Conditional
El tercer condicional describe situaciones hipotéticas del pasado y sus consecuencias también en el pasado.
¿Cuándo usar el tercer condicional?
El Third Conditional se usa para hablar de situaciones que no ocurrieron en el pasado y sus posibles consecuencias pasadas.
Estructura:
| Parte | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Condición | If + past perfect | If I had studied |
| Resultado | would have + past participle | I would have passed |
| Oración completa | If + past perfect, would have + PP | If I had studied, I would have passed |
Usos principales:
Arrepentimientos/Críticas
If I had left earlier, I wouldn't have missed the train
If she had saved money, she would have traveled
If they had listened, they wouldn't have failed
Hipótesis imaginarias
If I had been born earlier, I would have met them
If we had known about the party, we would have come
If he had taken the job, he would have moved to London
Variaciones con otros modales:
| Modal | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| would have | Resultado seguro | If I had studied, I would have passed |
| could have | Capacidad/posibilidad | If I had called, I could have helped |
| might have | Posibilidad menor | If she had tried, she might have succeeded |
| should have | Consejo/obligación | If you had studied, you should have passed |
Inversión formal (Had + sujeto):
Sin la partícula "if"
Had I known about it, I would have gone
Had we left earlier, we would have arrived on time
Had she seen you, she would have smiled
Práctica: Third Conditional
1. If I _____ (study), I _____ (pass) the exam.
2. If she _____ (leave) earlier, she _____ (catch) the train.
3. If they _____ (know), they _____ (come).
4. If we _____ (not waste) time, we _____ (finish) on time.
5. If you _____ (tell) me, I _____ (help) you.
💡 Consejos importantes
- Estructura: if + past perfect, would have + participio
- Usa could/might/should para matizar el resultado
- Expresa situaciones irreales en el pasado
- La inversión con "Had" evita la palabra "if" en estilo formal
🎯 Regla clave
El tercer condicional siempre mira hacia atrás a un pasado diferente que no sucedió. Cambia el resultado usando would/could/might + have + participio.