Mary – I'm sorry, Sam. What has happened in the film?
Sam – If you had arrived on time, you wouldn't have missed the beginning of the film.
Mary – I was going to leave home when my mother telephoned. If she hadn't telephoned, I would have arrived on time.
Sam – It's OK. And where is Peter? Didn't you invite him to come to the cinema?
Mary – You didn't say anything to me about Peter. If you had told me, I would have invited him.
Sam – You always forget everything. You met him yesterday, didn't you?
Mary – No, I didn't meet him. If I had seen him, I would have told him about the cinema.
Sam – OK. Stop arguing and look at the screen. The film stars are getting married.
Mary – Oh, yes. What a nice wedding! Look at the bride. Her wedding dress is beautiful. And the bridegroom is wearing a red carnation. But he looks very angry.
Sam – Yes, he is.
Usher – Could you please stop talking?
| If-clause | Main clause | | If + Past Perfect* | would have
could have
might have |
| *The Past Perfect is formed with had and a past participle. Both had and would can be shortened to ('d) |
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| Uses | The third conditional is used:
• to talk about completely unreal or impossible past situations.
• to express regret.
• to express disapproval.
If we are talking about a present situation, we can use would instead of would have in the main clause.
In formal English we can invert the subject and the verb in the if-clause and omit if. |
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