Second Conditional: What Would You Do?
.lb{font-family:system-ui,Arial,sans-serif;max-width:660px;margin:0 auto;line-height:1.6}
.badge{display:inline-block;padding:2px 10px;border-radius:10px;font-size:.8rem;font-weight:700;color:#fff;margin-right:6px}
.a1{background:#388E3C}.a2{background:#7CB342}.b1{background:#F57C00}.b2{background:#D32F2F}.c1{background:#7B1FA2}.c2{background:#303F9F}
.timer{background:#FFF9C4;border:1px solid #FBC02D;border-radius:6px;padding:3px 10px;font-size:.85rem;display:inline-block}
.story{background:#EEF2FF;border-left:4px solid #4F46E5;padding:.8rem 1rem;margin:1rem 0;border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;font-style:italic}
.aim{background:#F0FDF4;border:1px solid #86EFAC;border-radius:6px;padding:.6rem 1rem;margin:.8rem 0}
.ex{background:#FFFBEB;border:1px solid #FDE68A;border-radius:6px;padding:.8rem 1rem;margin:.8rem 0}
.prac{background:#FAF5FF;border:1px solid #C084FC;border-radius:6px;padding:.8rem 1rem;margin:.8rem 0}
.tip{background:#F0F9FF;border:1px solid #7DD3FC;border-radius:6px;padding:.6rem 1rem;margin:.8rem 0}
details summary{color:#4F46E5;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;padding:.3rem 0}
h1{color:#1E293B;font-size:1.4rem;margin:.4rem 0}
h2{color:#374151;font-size:1.05rem;margin:1rem 0 .4rem}
table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:.6rem 0}
th{background:#E0E7FF;padding:5px 8px;text-align:left}
td{padding:5px 8px;border-bottom:1px solid #E5E7EB}
.hi{background:#FEF08A;padding:1px 3px;border-radius:2px}
.disclaimer{font-size:.75rem;color:#9CA3AF;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;margin-top:1.5rem;padding-top:.5rem}
B1⏱ 5 min
Second Conditional: What Would You Do?
The Structure
| Part | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| If-clause | If + past simple | If I lived in Sydney… |
| Main clause | would + bare infinitive | …I would visit Bondi every weekend. |
| Negative | wouldn’t + infinitive | I wouldn’t miss the cold weather. |
| Question | What would you do if…? | What would you do if you moved abroad? |
Key rule: The situation is imaginary or unlikely. We use past simple in the if-clause, but the meaning is present or future.
Examples from real life
- “If I lived closer to the beach, I would swim every morning.“
- “She would speak more French if she practised every day.“
- “If Sourov were still in Sydney, he would probably manage a different venue by now.“
- “What would you do if you had to choose between two countries?“
- “If I didn’t love La Réunion, I wouldn’t stay here.“
Practice Task — Build the sentences
Use the prompts to write a second conditional sentence.
- (you / have / more time) → What would you do if …?
- (I / not know / how to cook) → If I … , I … eat out every night.
- (she / live / in France) → She would speak perfect French if …
- (we / not travel / so much) → We wouldn’t have so many stories if …
- (he / be / a teacher) → If he … a teacher, he … enjoy explaining grammar.
Show answers
- What would you do if you had more time?
- If I didn’t know how to cook, I would eat out every night.
- She would speak perfect French if she lived in France.
- We wouldn’t have so many stories if we didn’t travel so much.
- If he were / was a teacher, he would enjoy explaining grammar.
Takeaway
The second conditional = If + past simple, would + infinitive. Use it for imaginary or unlikely situations. Never use would inside the if-clause.
Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.
Independent project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
Leave a Reply