Second Conditional
✅ Uso: Se emplea para hablar de situaciones hipotéticas o improbables en el presente o futuro.
✅ Estructura:
👉 If + pasado simple, would + verbo base
👉 Con modales: If + pasado simple, could/might/should + verbo base
✅ Modals that work: would, could, might, should
🚫 Will, shall, must are too definite for a hypothetical situation.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a mansion. (Si ganara la lotería, compraría una mansión.)
If I were you, I might take the job. (Si yo fuera tú, quizás tomaría el trabajo.)
Alternativas a "if":
Unless → I wouldn’t do it unless it was necessary. (No lo haría a menos que fuera necesario.)
Even if → Even if I had money, I wouldn’t buy that car. (Aunque tuviera dinero, no compraría ese coche.)
Verbos modales en el Second Conditional:
If I had more time, I would travel the world. (Hipotético futuro)
If I knew his number, I could call him. (Posibilidad)
If I were taller, I might be a basketball player. (Menor certeza)
If he studied harder, he could get better grades. (Ability)
If she worked harder, she should get better results. (Consejo)
Si el verbo de la condición es "to be", se utiliza were en todas las personas.
If she were rich, she would buy a luxury flat. (=Si fuera rica, se compraría un apartamento lujoso.)
Para dar consejos se emplea la formula "If I were you".
If I were you, I would save some money. (=Yo, en tu lugar, ahorraría algo de dinero.)
Exercises
IF008 - Type 2 Conditional Clauses Intermediate
IF007 - Type 2 Conditional Clauses Intermediate