When to use the ‘third’ conditional
Use the third conditional to describe situations that might or could have taken place in the past but did not. Meaning, we use the third conditional to describe impossible events (in the past!)
Form of the ‘third’ conditional
IF + PAST PERFECT + SUBJECT + WOULD (N’T)/COULD (N’T)/ SHOULD (N’T)/ MIGHT (N’T) + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE (P.P)
Examples
- If I hadn’t gone to bed so late, I wouldn’t have overslept this morning.
- I wouldn’t be sick, if I hadn’t gone out in the cold.