Second Conditional - Grammar & Verb Tenses

We use the second conditional in English to express an unlikely or impossible outcome. Learn all about it in this video, and try the practice exercise at the end. Happy studying!
#LearnEnglish #English #Ellii #Grammar #conditionals
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:16 Sentence Patterns
2:35 Examples
3:31 Practice

[@linthizzy6620]

These are the best conditionals videos I've seen on KZbin. Thanks for creating and sharing these!

[@ellii]

Thank you so much!

[@dianadevlin3717]

Excellent video, just what I needed, thanks

[@bluebutterfly_art]

if I had magical ability, I would speak to many languages in short time. 😅

[@ellii]

Great example sentence! I wish I had that ability too. By the way, we don't need "to" after "speak" ("I would speak many languages in a short time" is correct).

[@purplscout2]

@@elliiI think he meant the word “too”

[@ellii]

@@purplscout2 Oh, I see! In that case, "too" wouldn't be correct here either (and "to" is incorrect, of course). For a positive situation, we would say "so" and not "too." The correct sentence is "If I had magical abilities, I would speak so many languages in a short time." There are more examples and explanations in our blog posts: ellii.com/blog/so-vs-too and ellii.com/blog/so-such-too.

[@abdihakimali2752]

Thank you, This is the best video about conditionals I have ever watched.

[@ellii]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@RenarBilgin]

Thanks for this video ! Short , clear and instructive.

[@ellii]

Glad it was helpful!

[@imallochannel]

I am learning Grammar (I am italian) with your videos! Grazie grazie grazie!

[@ellii]

Good for you! Keep up the good work

[@user-jz4xc9wf3o]

thank you very much💖

[@neakeanou8170]

Thanks teacher 🙏❤️🙏

[@belug_3797]

This is the best video about second candi I've ever seen. Thenk you for this video

[@ellii]

Thanks very much!!

[@RaZan.8]

Thank u sm!!!❤

[@liee3s]

THANK YOU FOR THIS! ❤️❤️❤️

[@ellii]

Thanks for watching!

[@liaquatali7882]

Spectacular amazing work keep it up 👍🏻🍻

[@ellii]

Thanks so much!

[@skjainskjain-fq2fv]

Thank you so much...... You made me to answer all the question

[@ellii]

That's great to hear! Glad it helped.

[@ludmilavieira5803]

Thank you so much❤

[@ellii]

You're welcome!

[@phamthianhtuyen4973]

VERY NICE. THANKS

[@adeeldaseventh7046]

Can you make videos about "past perfect simple" and "past perfect continuous"? ♡

[@ellii]

We love taking requests! Thanks for this suggestion. It's going on our to-do list!

[@nolix_yt]

God video, thanks.

[@ellii]

You're welcome!

[@Lkmll571]

Thank you❤

[@ellii]

You're welcome 😊

[@user-ld5jr9ub9j]

thank you for your great video 😍😍😍😍😍

[@ellii]

Thanks for watching!

[@hobakhalid3261]

Very good explanation thanks for your efforts ❤❤

[@ellii]

So glad you liked it!

[@BaBaPu-h5b]

thx you really help me with my study

[@ellii]

We're happy to hear that!

[@zahrachaudhry5581]

Best channel

[@ellii]

Thanks so much!

[@user-tk2mg3gm1r]

good explain!😃

[@ellii]

Glad it was helpful!

[@claudianemaia8059]

If I saw this video before, I would understand more about this subject.

[@ellii]

What a great example!! 😉

[@x_xToji]

You help me a lot

[@ellii]

Glad it was helpful!

[@husseinkhaled647]

Thank you again because I had an exam

[@ellii]

Hope you got a good score!

[@user-hy5en5mh8u]

My exsm is about two hours that was so helpful

[@ellii]

Best of luck to you!

[@user-mk5up9io4q]

Hello, thank you. It's very good. I am very happy for watching this video.💚💚🩷🩷💚💚

[@ellii]

We're so glad you enjoyed it!

[@jibeksatyndieva9362]

👍👏😍

[@AkiraxStara]

Thank You, Im subscribed

[@ellii]

Thanks so much for subscribing!

[@AkiraxStara]

@@ellii Np i Love this vid anyway its for My exam

[@user-ny7wc9ic9q]

Very good❤😊😊😊😊😊

[@ellii]

Thanks, Mubina!

[@SAIYOHITHARRAJESHKANNAN]

Thank you so much iam having an exam tomorrow really helpful ❤ subscribed

[@ellii]

Thank you for subscribing! Best of luck on your exam 💪

[@elias.mody.]

😊

[@dilshodabaxtiyorova2699]

Very good 💯 I'm learning grammar (I'm Uzbek) raxmat Alloh rozi bolsin Where are you from? I'm from Uzbekistan.

[@ellii]

Hello from Canada! It's nice to meet you. Happy studying!

[@bluebutterfly_art]

hi from Iran. I'd like to visit your country. recently I started to listening Uzbek songs. I can understand Turkish and I think your language is close to Turkish, right?

[@tahorasalihi9942]

Can we use other modal auxiliary verbs , or we just use (would)?

[@ellii]

Great question! You can use some modals if the meaning is suitable. For example, we can say "If you wanted to get the best deal, you could compare prices online" to convey ability. Note that some modals, such as "should," would only work in the first or third conditional because of their present and past forms. (E.g., If you want a spot, you should book it soon. / If you had wanted a better spot, you should have booked it way earlier.)

[@tahorasalihi9942]

​@@elliiThank you so much

[@ellii]

@@tahorasalihi9942 Anytime!

[@AkiraxStara]

Omggg i Love polar bears!

[@ellii]

We do too!

[@wilsonneto3895]

if I knew English, I would understand this video.

[@ellii]

Haha, good example! But it seems like you do know English since that sentence was perfect. ✨

[@Musimists]

Thank you soo much sister . ❤ My teacher recommend us mean whole class to watch it . And really it vary helpful . Thank you. But I have a problem.😢 When i want to speak English i have to translate it in urdu bcz i am from Pakistan actually so how can i avoid this . I understand but i can't speak 😢 what should i do due to this i am not capable of speaking English.

[@ellii]

Try to immerse yourself in English as much as possible. Try to study every day for at least a little bit. Try to find someone you can practice speaking with. Most importantly, be patient with yourself and don't give up! Learning a language takes a long time, especially learning to think in the language and not always translate to and from your language of origin. Good luck! ❤️

[@Musimists]

@@ellii thank you dear 💝. Inshallah I will do it and remember your words ❣️

[@ellii]

@Buddzz773 Hola from Canada!

[@SedraFateh]

Can you make present perfect continues ❤

[@ellii]

We have one! Note that "present perfect continuous" and "present perfect progressive" are the same thing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3Tde4FmnJqBfrMsi=su7FqkKsw3RMbRpe

[@user-le4zd9xx5t]

How can i learn english my english good but not that good

[@ellii]

Learning a language takes a long time. You can use language apps and watch free videos, but a good way to learn is with a teacher who can correct you in classes that are frequent. It's important to practice speaking English too, so a classroom setting can help with that. If you have the chance, the best and quickest way to learn a language is by immersion (living in another country that speaks the language).

[@YadEDTZ]

I am a 6 grader thanks that helped me alot

[@ellii]

We're glad it helped!

[@karimazholdybai9369]

Даа я тоже учусь в 6классе и это очень помогло Спасибо

[@capriyounus]

Same😂

[@travisking6595]

I would fly to the moon if I had wings!

[@Jaidasdiy]

If I had a superpower it would be flying

[@ellii]

Awesome example!

[@RNRezamohammadi]

👀

[@travisking6595]

If I had wings, I would fly to the moon!

[@ellii]

Great example sentence!

[@FatimaZahraa-kn3ib]

Sir the subject I take why are you took ( were ) I is singular and take (was )confused . Because I ,he ,she ,it are singular not plural can you explain me besides why are you took deffrent subject I mean If he were the leader of this country, he would make many changes .

[@ellii]

Hi there! The verb "to be" follows an old English rule where all subjects take "were," not "was" (If I were, if you were, if he were, etc.). This case is called the subjunctive voice, and it does strange things to verbs in some cases! You can learn about the three cases in this blog post: ellii.com/blog/tips-for-teaching-the-subjunctive (the second conditional is the second case mentioned). But basically, there is no logical reason for those verb changes in the subjunctive mood these days, so you just have to memorize certain patterns. Hope that helps!

[@user-xo1rf6pu5h]

If I was a superhero, I would save the world 😅

[@ellii]

Great example. You'd be in demand these days! Note that the best choice for the be verb in the second conditional is "were" for every subject. The best sentence is "If I were a superhero, I would save the world." But many people do say "was" instead, so it's not wrong.

[@hristov71]

Hi, can I say: If I was in Paris last week, I would visit an art gallery ?

[@ellii]

Hi there. The second conditional is used for present or future situations. You can say "If I were in Paris now/next week, I would visit an art gallery." For past situations, you need to use the third conditional (if + had + p.p., would + have + p.p.). You can say "If I had been in Paris last week, I would have visited an art gallery." You can also watch our video on the third conditional for more examples. Hope that helps!

[@hristov71]

@@ellii Really thank you for reply, If somebody ask me, where were you last week, were you in Paris? My answer would be : If I was in Paris ,I was going to visit an art gallery. Is this correct? Regards !

[@ellii]

@@hristov71 You're welcome! You have two options with your answer. 1) If you actually were in Paris, you could say "When I was in Paris, I went to visit an art gallery." 2) If you weren't in Paris and only wish you were, you could say "If I had been in Paris, I would have gone to visit an art gallery."

[@fathiraqlanazzami8922]

My School use this infront of my class

[@ellii]

We hope it was helpful!

[@kindahassan288]

If i were a bird, i would fly to my country

[@ellii]

Great example!

[@humayrajerin681]

If lived on the moon, i would have a great view of earth is not that 3rd conditional because of would have

[@ellii]

That sentence is the second conditional (if + past, would + base verb). In the third conditional that sentence would be: If I had lived on the moon, I would have had a great view of Earth.

[@user-ri3em8ry6q]

if I had wings, I would go back my mother my country

[@ellii]

Great example! Don't forget the preposition "to" in this example. If I had wings, I would go back to my mother country. Nice job!

[@Quran_kareem_0_]

اتمنى ان اتكلم الانجليزية ولكن للأسف لا اقدر على تكلم الانجليزية وتدريس المدرسة لدينا للانجليزية ضعيف 😢

[@ellii]

Don't give up! You could watch more of our videos to study on your own. Best of luck! ❤️

[@Quran_kareem_0_]

@@ellii شكرا جزيلا لك💙

[@jamaaessmaiki5161]

If I was Rich, I would buy money

[@ellii]

Funny example! Note that "was" isn't always accepted as a second conditional form. The best form is "were" no matter the subject (If I were rich, I would buy money).

[@erzatabdyrasulov7223]

Ты тут?

[@Raiedd]

?

[@ellii]

Do you have a question for us? We will try to explain something if you're confused.

[@HibaNagi-oh7ms]

Sorry but you said she would buy a new car if she had million dollars is it right to put she had instead of she has???

[@ellii]

That's right. The patterns are "if + would, past verb" and "if + will, present verb" so with "would buy" you need "had."

[@HibaNagi-oh7ms]

Thank you for your reply