"If I didn't set high standards for myself I wouldn't be studying now."

[Rachel Adams]

Have I used the second conditional correctly?

Is my sentence correct? Can I use "now"?

"If I didn't set high standards for myself I wouldn't be studying now."

 

[GoesStation]

Re: The use of the second conditional

It's okay. I initially read it as "If I hadn't set high standards for myself I wouldn't be studying now," which is more natural and probably expresses what you have in mind.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Re: The use of the second conditional

It's okay. I initially read it as "If I hadn't set high standards for myself I wouldn't be studying now," which is more natural and probably expresses what you have in mind.

If I use past perfect, it's the third conditional with "would have and the past participle" but I used the second conditional. If I use the third conditional, can I use "would" with another verb instead of "would have" with the past participle of the verb, I mean with past perfect? I see that you used past perfect with "would"and infinitive instead of "would have and past participle.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Re: The use of the second conditional

GS's sentence is an example of a so-called mixed conditional.

But can I still use the second conditional in my sentence? Isn't it wrong? The idea is that the person already set high standards.

 

[GoesStation]

Re: The use of the second conditional

But can I still use the second conditional in my sentence? Isn't it wrong? The idea is that the person already set high standards.

The past perfect is the right tense to express that. With the past simple, the sentence means you continually set high standards.

 

[Rover_KE]

Please note that I have changed your thread title and moved the question about the second conditional into the body of your thread.

'Thread titles should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.'