is this a true 3rd conditional?

Status
Not open for further replies.

marcap16*

New member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Ireland
Current Location
Ireland
In this case, is the following third conditional correct: I would have gone to New York if I could have afforded it.

My question is: Can, "could have afforded " be substituted for the past perfect.

Thanks
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
The sentence works fpr me.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Where's the version in the past perfect that you referred to?
 

Charlie Bernstein

VIP Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I would have gone to New York if I could have afforded it.
I would have gone to New York if I had been able to afford it.

These two mean effectively the same.
They both make sense, but the first one seems a little awkward, the second more natural.

I like: I would have gone to New York if I'd had the money.
 

marcap16*

New member
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Ireland
Current Location
Ireland
Re: I wanted to know if the following sentence could be regarded as a true 3rd conditional as it doesn't contain the past perfect.

e.g. I would have gone to New York if I could have afforded it.

As there is no past perfect in this sentence, can it be said to be a 3rd conditional?

This sentence was deemed correct in a Cambridge FCE exam,
 

jutfrank

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
As there is no past perfect in this sentence, can it be said to be a 3rd conditional?

Then this is obviously a question of definition. How are you defining '3rd conditional'? If purely by its containing a past perfect form, then obviously not.

Try not to get too hung up on grouping conditional sentences by form. I'm not saying you shouldn't do this, but that it's usually more appropriate to focus first on meaning and use.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
As there is no past perfect in this sentence, can it be said to be a 3rd conditional?

This sentence was deemed correct in a Cambridge FCE exam,

Did the question state that the answer had to be a true 3rd conditional or was it looking for answers that worked?
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
PS I ask because Cambridge accept various forms in use that purists might not like- they are OK with if I was you, for example.
 

jutfrank

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Did the question state that the answer had to be a true 3rd conditional or was it looking for answers that worked?

No. The Cambridge First doesn't do that. In fact, it makes no mention of any terminology.

I imagine the sentence in question is from the Use of English transformations part.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top