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  1. #1
    df2006 is offline Newbie
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    Default questions about the third conditional

    I saw the following third conditional sample sentences from an educational webpage:

    1. If I had not gone to university in Spain, I would not be bilingual.

    2. If you had attended the training seminar, you would be familiar with the new operational procedures.

    3. If we had not felt we could trust each other, we would not be partners.

    4. If we had ordered the equipment last week, they would be here now.

    Please can anyone confirm if these are correct?

    I always thought the verb pattern for third conditionals should be:

    (if clause) past perfect tense; (main clause) would/could/should + have + past participle

    For example:

    1. If I had not gone to university in Spain, I would not have been bilingual.

    2. If you had attended the training seminar, you would have been familiar with the new operational procedures.

    3. If we had not felt we could trust each other, we would not have been partners.

    4. If we had ordered the equipment last week, they would have been here now.

    Thank you very much.

  2. #2
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: questions about the third conditional

    They're a mix- the if-clause in the past perfect to show a past event, followed by a second conditional to show a present result, unlike a full third conditional which shows a past result.

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