What are tenses in English?

A tense is a form of the verb that allows you to express time. The tense of the verb tells us when an event or
something existed or when a person did something. Past, present, and future are the three main types of tenses.

What are the three main types of tenses and why do we need them?
Past, present and future are the three main types of tenses.

Past tense

The past tense is used to describe an activity or an event that has happened in the past or a past state of being and
needs to include a time marker for when the event or action took place.

Structural formula:

Subject + verb (2nd form) + object.

Examples:

 We met yesterday.
 He bought a new laptop last week.

Present tense

The simple present tense or present tense is one of the most basic tenses in English. We use present tense to talk
about something that is currently going on, something that is habitually performed, or a state that generally or
currently exists.
Structural formula:

Subject + verb (s/es) + object.

Examples:

 She lives in Spain.

 Bob drives a taxi.

Future tense

The future tense is a verb tense used to describe an event or action that has not yet happened and is expected to
happen in the future. Structural formula, Subject + shall/will+ verb (s/es) + object.

Example:

 He will be here soon.

Now that we have understood the three main types of tenses, communicating in English with a native English
speaker will become easier. But to make communication in English easier and simpler, we need to learn more
about tenses.

Apart from the three main types of tenses - present, past, and future - there are different subtypes of tenses which
are mentioned below.

What are the subtypes of tenses?

Past continuous tense
The past continuous tense is used to describe events or actions that have already occurred in the past. It's employed to describe any
action which has happened in the past.

Structural formula:

Subject + helping verb (was/were) + verb (ing) + object.

Examples:

 I was watching TV.

 We were sleeping.
 She wasn’t eating her lunch.

Past perfect tense

The past perfect tense is used to describe an event that occurred before a completed action in the past.

Structural formula:

Subject + had + verb (ed) + object.

Examples:

 He had gone when she became ill.

 She had not lived in New York.
 They had not been married long when I was born.

Past perfect continuous tense

The past perfect continuous tense represents any action or event that started in the past and sometimes continued into another action or
another time.

Structural formula:
Subject + had been + Verb (ing) + object (optional) + time of action.

Examples:

 We had been playing games for 6 hours when Dad came home.
 She had been reading magazines for 1 month before she decided to apply for the job.
 Had she been washing dishes all day?

Present continuous tense

The present continuous tense is used to talk about the ongoing actions, events, or conditions that are still not finished.

Structural formula:

Subject + helping verb (is / am/ are) + main verb (ing) + object.

Examples:

 She is playing basketball.

 Birds are flying in the sky.
 I’m learning English.

Present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is used to describe a situation or event that has already occurred but has immediate ramifications. The
present perfect tense can be used to describe experiences, and situations that occurred in the past but still have an influence on the
present. We don't use it with time markers.

Structural formula:

Subject + helping verb (have/has) + verb (ed) + object.

Examples:
  She has not finished her work yet.
 I have seen that movie twice.
 We have visited LA several times.

Present perfect continuous tense

The present perfect continuous tense shows a situation that has started in the past and continues in the present.

Structural formula:

Subject + helping verb (have/has) + been + verb (ing) + object (optional) + since / for + time duration + object.

Examples:

 I have been learning English for many years.

 He has been working here since 2010.
 We have been saving money.

Future continuous tense

The future continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that will occur or occur in the future.

Structural formula:

Subject + shall/will be + verb (ing) + object.

Example:

 He will be coming to visit us next week.

 She will be watching TV.
 He will be writing a letter to Mary.

Future perfect tense

The future perfect is used to describe an action that will be completed between now and a certain point in the future.

Structural formula:

Subject + shall/will + have + verb (3rd form) + object.

Examples:

 They will have finished the film before we get home.

 She will have cleaned the house by 9pm.

Future perfect continuous tense

We use the future perfect continuous to focus on the duration of an action before a specific time in the future.

Structural formula:

Subject + shall/will + have been + verb (ing) + object (optional) + time instant.

Examples:

 He will have been studying hard for 2 weeks before the exam.
 By the time the alarm goes off, we will have been sleeping for 8 hours.

Examples of tenses in English

Tense Present Past
Simple He rides a bike He rode a bike
Continuous He is riding a bike He was riding a bike
Perfect He has ridden a bike He had ridden a bike
Perfect He has been riding a bike since He had been riding a bike
continuous the morning since 8 am

Tense Future
Simple He will ride a bike
Continuous He will be riding a bike
Perfect He will have ridden a bike
Perfect continuous He will have been riding a bike at 8 am tomorrow

‘Voice’ – What Is It?

The term ‘voice’ is a term that is used to denote the form of the verb which shows if the subject in a given sentence is the doer or receiver of the action.
The voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action and the participants (subject or object) in a sentence.

The Two Voices in the English Language

There are two voices in the English language and they are as follows:

 Active Voice
 Passive Voice
Let us look into the two voices a little in detail with the help of the meaning and definition given below.
What is the Active Voice? – Meaning and Definition
The active voice, in a sentence, denotes that the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in the sentence is the doer of the action. In other words, the
subject performs the action or acts upon the verb.

What is the Passive Voice? – Meaning and Definition

The passive voice, on the other hand, represents that the subject is one acted upon by the action or verb in the sentence. It can also be said that the passive
voice indicates that the subject in the sentence is no longer active but passive.

Difference between the Active Voice and the Passive Voice

Analysing the difference between the active voice and the passive voice is what will help you in a much better way to learn how to use the two voices
effectively. Take a look at the following table to know how they differ.

Active Voice Passive Voice

 Denotes that the subject is performing  Denotes that the subject is acted upon by the verb
the action. or action in the sentence.

 The active voice does not require a  The passive voice uses a linking verb followed by
linking verb to make sense. the past participle of the main verb.

 The active voice focuses on the doer of  The passive voice comes in handy when the doer
the action. of the action is undetermined.

 Has a direct, clear and strong tone.  Has an indirect, weak and subtle tone.

 Examples:  Examples:
 I decorated the hall.  The hall was decorated by me.
 Devi gave Shanthi a gift.  Shanthi was given a gift by Devi.
Rules to be Followed When Converting the Active Voice to the Passive Voice
There are a few other points that you have to know so that you can use the two voices effectively. They are as follows:

 interchange the subject and the object.

 convert the main verb into its past participle or its third form.
 make sure to use an helping verb which maintains the tense the sentence represents.
 preposition, ‘by’ before the subject in a passive sentence.
 If there are any adverbs used in the sentence with the active voice, be sure to include it in the passive voice as well. Do not just
drop it when you convert a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice or vice-versa.
When converting the active voice into the passive voice or vice versa, there are changes in the tenses and pronouns used in the sentences.
The table given below shows you how the tenses change when converting the active voice to the passive voice and vice versa.

Change of Pronouns

Active Voice Passive Voice

I Me

We Us
 He Him

She Her

They Them

It It

Voice and Tenses

Present Tense- Use the simple present tense to make a generalization, present a state of being, or indicate a habitual or
repeated action.
Active- I write a novel.
Passive- A novel is written by me.
Structure- Subject + auxiliary verb + past participle of the main verb+ by + object.
Present Continuous- Use the present progressive to describe an ongoing activity or a temporary action.
Active- I am eating breakfast.
Passive- The breakfast is being eaten by me.
Structure- Subject + auxiliary verb + being + by + object
Present Perfect- Use the present perfect to describe an action occurring in the past but relevant to the present or extending
to the present.
Active- I have played the game.
Passive- A game has been played by me.
Structure- Subject + has/have been + past participle + by + object
Past Tense- Use the simple past to indicate a general or habitual action occurring in the past or at a specific time in the
past.
Active- I invited you to the party.
Passive- You were invited by me to the party.
Structure- Subject+be+ past participle+by+ object
Questions
Active- Did you show me the dress?
Passive- Was I shown the dress by you?
Past Continuous- Use the past progressive to indicate an ongoing action in the past or an action continuing through a
specific past time.
Active- I was playing video games.
Passive- The video games were being played by me.
Structure- Subject+auxiliary verb + being+ past participle + by +object
Past Perfect- Use the past perfect to indicate an action completed before a particular time or before another action in the
past.
Active- You had done the work.
Passive- The work had been done by you.
Structure- Subject+had+been+past participle + by + object
Future Tense- Use the future to indicate an action that is expected to take place at a future time.
Active- He will play the match.
Passive- The match will be played
Structure- Subject+will+be+past participle +by+object
Future perfect tense
Active- you will have started the job.
Passive- The job will have been started by you.
Structure- subject shall/will have been past participle by subject.

Active and Passive Voice in Tenses form

The passive voice is formed with the suitable tense of the verb followed by the past participle. Study the table given below-

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice Examples

Simple Present Subject + Verb + Object Object + is/am/are + V3 + by Subject

Active: I eat mangoes
 Passive: Mangoes are eaten by me.

Active: Ramesh is calling Neena.

Present Continuous Subject + is/am/are + verb + ing Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by
Tense + Object Subject Passive: Neena is being called by Ramesh

Active: I have made some cakes.

Subject + have/has + V3 + Object + has/have + been + V3 + by
Present Perfect Tense
Object Subject Passive: Some cakes have been made by me.

Active: Preeti stole my clothes.

Subject + Verb(past tense) +
Simple Past tense Object + was/were + V3 + by Subject
Object Passive: My clothes were stolen by Preeti

Active: The postman was delivering the letters.

Past Continuous Subject + was/were + Verb + Object + was/were + being + V3 + by
Passive: The letters were being delivered by
Tense ing+ Object Subject
the postman.

Active: The girls had eaten all the muffins.

Past Perfect Tense Subject + had + V3 + Object Object + had been + V3 + by subject Passive: All the muffins had been eaten by
girls.

Active: We shall finish the whole work by 6

Subject + shall /will +V1 + Object + shall/will + be +V3 + by
Simple Future Tense pm.
Object subject
 Passive: The whole work will be finished by us
by 6 pm

Active: They will have won the football match.

Subject + shall/will + have + V3 Object + shall/will + have been + V3 +
Future Perfect Tense Passive: The football match will have been
+ Object by subject
won by them.

An exception to the rule: No passive Voice formation for the following tenses can be formed, that is, Present Perfect Continuous
Tense, Past Perfect Continuous Tense, Future Perfect Continuous Tense, and Future Continuous Tense]

Imperative Sentence
Imperative sentences are those that communicate demands, requests, orders, recommendations, etc. With or without an
object, the passive version of an imperative sentence is introduced.

Passive form (With object) - Let + object +be + past participle .

Passive form (Without object) - In case Statements starts with 'You are ordered/advised/ suggested?……. etc.

For example-

Active - Cash vouchers on time .

Passive - You are suggested to take cash vouchers on time .

Active voice - Let us rehearse here .

Passive voice- We may be permitted to rehearse here .

Interrogative Sentence
Interrogative sentences are those that pose an inquiry. There are two sorts of interrogative phrases in voice: those that
contain words from the W family and those that do not. If "who" is employed in the active voice, the passive form should
be "By whom." When using the active voice without the word "who," the assisting verb comes before the object since the
statement is an interrogative. For instance,

Active Voice- Who advises him ?

Passive Voice- By whom is he advised ?

Active Voice-Are you organizing the interview ?

Passive Voice- Is the interview being organized by you ?

4. Interrogative Sentences
Present and Past Tense:
Structure 1:
Active: Do/does/did + subject + V1 + object….?
Passive: Is/are/am/was/were + object + V3 + by + subject….?
Structure 2:
Active: Is/are/a/was/were + subject + verb (ing) + object…?
Passive: Is/are/am/was/were + object + being + verb (III from) + by + subject…?
Structure 3:
Active: Has/have/had + subject + verb (IIIrd form) + object…
Passive: Has/have/had + object + been + verb (IIIrd form) + by + subject…
Structure 4:
Active: Who + verb (s or es)/verb (IInd form) + object…?
Passive: By whom + is/are/am/was/were + object + verb (IIIrd form)?
Structure 5:
Active: Wh-question word + do/does/did + subject + verb (I form) + object…?
Passive: Wh-question word + Is/are/am/was/were + object + verb (III from) + by + subject…?
5. Imperative Sentences
– Positive:
Active: Verb + object
Passive:
(i) Let + object + be + past participle
(ii) You are requested/ordered/suggested + to + verb (Ist form) + object
– Negative:
Active: Do + not + Verb + Object
Passive:
(i) Let + object + not + be + past participle
(ii) You are requested/ordered/suggested + not + to + verb (Ist form) + object

6. “To be” Sentences

Active: Subject + Is/Are/Am/Was/Were/Has/Have/Had + To + Verb (Ist form) + Object..
Passive: Object + Is/Are/Am/Was/Were/Has/Have/Had + To + Be + Verb (III form) + By + Subject..

7. Verb + Preposition + Object

Active: Subject + verb + preposition + object…
Passive: Object + to be + verb (III form) + preposition + by + subject…

NOTE: While converting such sentences into passive voices, the verb is always followed by the
particular preposition.
8. Modal Verbs
Active: Subject + modal verb + (V1) + object…
Passive: Object + modal verb + be + V3 + by + subject…

9. Di-Transitive Verbs
Some verbs take two objects, for example:
Active: Siddharth gave the beggar an old t-shirt.
Passive:
(i) An old t-shirt was given to the beggar by Siddharth.
(ii) The beggar was given an old t-shirt by Siddharth.

10. Sentences with the Intransitive Verb:

Such sentences are known as Mid-voice or Quasi-Passive voice. They seem in active voice, but their meaning
is in passive voice, and they have intransitive verbs, like without a direct object.
Active: Honey tastes sweet.
Passive: Honey is sweet when it is tasted.

Modal Verbs

What are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs (also known as helping verbs). Normally modal verbs cannot work alone and
must work with the main verb.
Modal Verbs are used with ordinary verbs to express see meanings such as possibility, permission, certainly, etc.
Modal Verb Rules
 Modal verbs are always directly before the main verb in simple sentences except when asking questions.
 Always use the infinitive of the main verb without the "to," for example, if you want to boast to someone about how many
pushups you can do, you could say, "I can do the entire pushup routine in 5 minutes."
 When asking questions, the modal verb is placed at the beginning. For example, "can you do the entire pushup routine in 5
minutes?"
 Modal verb examples are generally in the present tense because they refer to "supposed" situations. However, they can also be
in the present perfect continuous, past, or future.

The List of the Modals with their Positive and Negative forms:

Positive Negative

1) Will Will Not/ Won’t

2) Would Would Not/ Wouldn’t

3) Shall Shall Not/ Shan’t

4) Should Should Not/ Shouldn’t

5) May May Not/ Mayn’t

6) Might Might Not/ Mightn’t

7) Can Can Not/ Can’t

8) Could Could Not/ Couldn’t

9) Must Must Not/ Mustn’t

10) Have To Don’t Have To

11) Need Need Not/ Needn’t

12) Ought Ought Not To/ Oughtn’t To

13) Dare Dare Not/ Daren’t

14) Used To Used Not To/ Didn’t Use to

Uses of Modal ‘Will’

1) The first rule for the use of Modal ‘will’ is that it expresses pure future with second and third person as subjects.
2) The second rule for use of Modal ‘will’ is that it shows willingness, intention, promise, determination with the first person as a subject.
3) The third and last use of Modal ‘will’ is that it tells about the characteristic, habit, assumption, invitation or request and insistence.
Examples of Modal ‘Will’ are given below:
1) You will die of a heart attack. (Pure Future)
2) The prime minister will hoist the flag. (Pure Future)
3) I will meet you again. (Promise)
4) I will need your help. (Willingness/ intention)
5) He will achieve his goals. (Determination)
6) A child will usually obey his parents. (Characteristic habit)
7) He will be here at any moment. (Assumption)
8) Will you go with me. (Request)
9) He will not listen to his teacher’s advice. (Insistence)

Uses of Modal ‘Would’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘would’ is that it expresses past habits, polite request, wish/ preference or an imaginary condition.
Examples of Modal ‘Would’ are given below:
1) He would wake up early in the morning and go to work. (Past habits)
2) My mother would always make me my favourite dishes. (Past habits)
3) Would you get me a glass of water, please? (Polite request)
4) I would like to see the owner. (Polite request)
5) I wish you would be here. (Wish)
6) I would rather have food at home than outside. (Preference)
7) I would buy a house if I won the lottery. (Preference)

Uses of Modal ‘Shall’

1) The first rule for the use of Modal ‘Shall’ is that it expresses pure future with the first person as the subject.
2) The second rule for the use of Modal ‘Shall’ is that it is used to ask for advice, suggestions, requests, etc. with the first person in the
interrogative.
3) The third rule for the use of Modal ‘Shall’ is that it is used to express command, threat, warning, promise, assurance, determination, etc.
with the second and third person as the subjects.
Examples of Modal ‘Shall’ are given below:
1) We shall go to school tomorrow. (Pure Future)
2) I shall teach you to dance. (Pure Future)
3) Shall I bring a glass of fresh juice for you? (Request)
4) Shall I close the door? (Advice)
5) Shall we go to the market tomorrow? (Suggestion)
6) You shall get a reward for your achievement. (Promise/ Assurance)
7) You shall go to your room. (Command)
8) They shall win the match. (Determination)

Uses of Modal ‘Should’

1) The first rule for the use of Modal ‘Should’ is that it is used to express duty, obligation, advisability or desirability.
2) The second rule for the use of Modal ‘Should’ is that it is used to express logical interference, supposition, assumption, possibility or
probability.
3) The third rule for the use of Modal ‘Should’ is that it is used to express a purpose after ‘lest’.
Examples of Modal ‘Should’ are given below:
1) We should go to school every day. (Duty)
2) You should not be late for work. (Obligation/ Desirability)
3) You should exercise more often. (advisability)
4) He should be at the office by now. (Possibility)
5) If he should see me there, he will be happy. (Probable Condition)
6) Leave on time, lest you should miss the train. (should after lest)

Uses of Modal ‘May’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘May’ is that it is used to express possibility, permission, wish, faith, hope or a purpose.
Examples of Modal ‘May’ are given below:
1) It may snow in the evening. (Possibility)
2) May I go now, sir? (Permission)
3) May God always be with you. (Wish, faith or hope)
4) He is working hard so that he may get an appraisal. (Purpose)

Uses of Modal ‘Might’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘Might’ is that it is used to express less possibility, permission or a guess.
Example of Modal Might are given below:
1) It might rain today. (Less possibility)
2) Might I go to get the files? (Permission)
3) That might be the new guard. (Guess)

Uses of Modal ‘Can’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘Can’ is that it is used to express permission, possibility, ability or capacity.
Examples of Modal ‘Can’ are given below:
1) Can I go to the market? (Permission)
2) Anyone can be the thief. (Possibility)
3) He can stay awake for 2 days. (Ability/ Capacity)

Uses of Modal ‘Could’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘Could’ is that it is used to express ability or capacity in the past, polite request or a possibility under certain
circumstances.
Examples of Modal ‘Could’ are given below:
1) He could run very fast in his youth. (Ability/ Capacity in the past)
2) Could you wait for him? (Polite request)
3) If we had money, we could have bought a house. (Possibility under certain conditions)

Uses of Modal ‘Must’

The rule for use of Modal ‘Must’ is that it is used to express obligation/ duty, necessity, compulsion, prohibition, emphatic advice,
determination, assumption, conclusion/ interference, certainty/ strong probability.
Examples of Modal ‘Must’ are given below:
1) The children must obey their parents. (Duty)
2) We must not steal money from anyone. ( Duty)
3) You must follow the orders of your boss. (Obligation)
4) I must reach work on time. (Necessity)
5) He must do as I say. (Compulsion)
6) You must not smoke in public places. (Prohibition)
7) You must see a dentist at once. (Emphatic advice)
8) We must not go before they come back. (Determination)
9) The students must be in their classes at this time. (Strong Probability)
10) He must be 40 years old. (Assumption)
11) He must have left by now. (Certainty)

Uses of Modal ‘Have to’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘Have to’ is that it is used in the sense of must, to give advice or to recommend something.
Examples of Modal ‘Have to’ are given below:
1) I have to reach there by 9:30 pm. (in the sense of Must)
2) You have to start working soon. (Advice)

Uses of Modal ‘Need’

The main rule for the use of Modal ‘Need’ is that it chiefly shows the absence of necessity or compulsion in the negative and interrogative
sentences.
Examples of the Modal Need are given below:
1) You need not worry about work.
2) Need I talk to her.

Uses of Modal ‘Ought’

The rule for the use of Modal ‘Will’ is that it is used to express the subjects obligation or duty and also it is used to give advice.
Examples of Modal ‘Ought’ are given below:
1) I ought to love my parents. (Obligation/ Duty)
2) We ought not to cheat anyone. (Duty)
3) You ought to practise for more than 2 hours a day if you want to clear the exam.

Uses of Modal ‘Dare’

The rule for using the Modal ‘Dare’ is that it is used at places where we need to show courage. It is generally used in negative and
interrogative way.
Examples of Modal Dare are given below:
1) I dare not fail in my exams. (Negative)
2) How dare you interrupt us? (Interrogative)

Uses of Modal ‘Used to’

The rule for the usage of Modal ‘Used to’ is that it is used to express past habits and to express the existence of something in the past.
Examples of the Modal ‘Used to’ are given below:
1) I used to go swimming every morning. (Past Habits)
2) There used to be a door at this place long ago.(Existence of something in the past)

Modal Exercises
Fill in the blanks with correct modals.
1) He knew that he _______ (Would/ must) be able to reach office in time.
2) You ______ (dare/ could) not enter my house again.
3) I thought he ______ (should/ would) be at school.
4) Raman _____ (can/ should) speak in two voices.
5) I _____ (can’t/ couldn’t) write what you spoke.
6) You _____ (should/ can) have told me earlier.
7) _____ (Can/ Should) i get something to drink, please? I am very thirsty.
8) _______ (Can/ Should) I use your car, please?
9) You ______ (can/ would) go in now and meet the doctor.
10) I _______ (would/ should) love to teach these children.
11) I ______ (could/ can) eat 5 bananas at a time when i was young.
12) You _____ (must/ will) see the lawyer at once.
13) ______ (May/ Might) god protect you from the pain and agony.
14) My mother ______ (can/ could) watch T.V for hours even now.
15) It _______ (would/ may) be cold in the evening, who knows?
Answers:
1) Would
2) Dare
3) Would
4) Can
5) Couldn’t
6) Should
7) Can
8) Can
9) Can
10) Would
11) Could
12) Must
13) May
14) Can
15) May

Conditionals
What is a Conditional Sentence?
A conditional sentence is based on the word ‘if’. There are always two parts to a conditional sentence –
one part beginning with ‘if’ to describe a possible situation, and the second part which describes the
consequence. For example:

If it rains, we’ll get wet.

There are four types of conditional sentences:

0 – The zero conditional

1 – The first conditional

2 – The second conditional

3 – The third conditional

The Zero Conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about permanent truths, such as scientific facts, and general habits.
The structure is simple:

Here are some examples:

If you heat water to 100°, it boils.

If you eat a lot, you put on weight.

If it doesn’t rain for a long time, the earth gets very dry.

If we go out with friends, we normally go to a restaurant.

If I’m tired, I go to bed early.

The First Conditional

We use the first conditional to talk about a realistic situation in the present or future. The structure of
the first conditional is as follows:
Here are some examples:

If you’re free later, we can go for a walk.

If they’re hungry, I’ll make some sandwiches.

If you’re not back by 5pm, give me a ring.

If he studies hard, he’ll do well in the exam.

If we arrive late, we must get a taxi.

He’ll call if he needs help.

Take a break if you’re tired.

Another way to make first conditional sentences is to use ‘unless’ which means ‘only if’ or ‘except’. As
with ‘if’, the word ‘unless’ can never be followed by ‘will’ but only by the present simple. Fo r example:

Unless you hurry up, you won’t catch the bus.

I’ll carry on doing this work, unless my boss tells me to do something else.

We’ll stay at home unless the weather improves.

The Second Conditional

We use the second conditional to talk about improbable or impossible situations in the present or future.
Here is the structure:

For example:

If I had more time, I’d exercise more. (But I don’t have more time so I don’t.)

If I were rich, I’d spend all my time travelling. (But I’m not rich so I can’t.)

If she saw a snake, she’d be terrified.

If he didn’t have to work late, he could go out with his girlfriend.

What would you do if you were offered a job in Canada?

You wouldn’t have to walk everywhere if you bought a bike.

A common expression used to give advice has the second conditional structure. The expression is ‘If I
were you, I’d..’, meaning ‘in your situation, this is what I would do’. For example:

A: I’ve got a headache.

B: If I were you, I’d take an aspirin.

A: I don’t understand this.

B: If I were you, I’d ask your teacher for help.

A: This order won’t be delivered on time.

B: If I were you, I’d phone the customer to let them know.

The Third Conditional

We use the third conditional to talk about impossible situations, as in the second conditional, in the past.
We often use the third conditional to describe regrets. The structure is:

Here are some examples:

If we had left earlier, we would have arrived on time.

If you hadn’t forgotten her birthday, she wouldn’t have been upset.
If they had booked earlier, they could have found better seats.

If I hadn’t learnt English, I wouldn’t have got this job.

What would you have studied if you hadn’t done engineering?

They wouldn’t have hired you if you hadn’t had some experience abroad.

You could have helped me if you’d stayed later.

Mixed Conditionals
It’s possible to combine the second and third conditional in one sentence when we want to make a
hypothesis about the past that has a consequence in the present. In this case, the structure is:

Here are some examples:

If you’d studied harder, you’d be at a higher level now.

We’d be lying on a beach now if we hadn’t missed the plane.

They’d have much more confidence if they hadn’t lost so many matches.
 What would you be doing now if you hadn’t decided to study?

Questions
 It …………….. silly if we tried to walk there.
 I …………….. the film only if the reviews are good.
 She'd have taken me to the station if her car …………….. down.
 If you …………….. , he won't help you.
 If it …………….. yesterday, we would have gone sailing.
 …………….. you look after their dog again if they go on holiday this year?
 …………….. mind if I used your mobile?
 I would not have opened the mail if it …………….. a virus.
 Even if I had a wet-suit, I …………….. scuba-diving.
 …………….. you have been that strict if you'd known the truth?
 If I had more time, I …………….. come to your party yesterday.
 Give the book to Jane if you have read it.
 If you hadn't lost our flight tickets, we …………….. on our way to the Caribbean now.
 If you are having dinner right now, I…………….. come back later.
 If we had set off earlier, we …………….. in this traffic jam now.
 What would you do if you …………….. accused of murder?
 If I hadn't eaten that much, I …………….. not feel so sick now.
 We would take another route if they …………….. not closed the road.
 She only sings if she…………….. in a good mood.
 If she were sensible, she …………….. asked that question, by which she offended him so much.

Answers
 It would be silly if we tried to walk there.
 I will watch the film only if the reviews are good.
 She'd have taken me to the station if her car hadn't broken down.
 If you don't ask , he won't help you.
 If it hadn't rained yesterday, we would have gone sailing.
 Will you look after their dog again if they go on holiday this year?
 Would you mind if I used your mobile?
 I would not have opened the mail if it had contained a virus.
 Even if I had a wet-suit, I wouldn't go scuba-diving.
 Would you have been that strict if you'd known the truth?
 If I had more time, I would have come to your party yesterday.
 Give the book to Jane if you have read it.
 If you hadn't lost our flight tickets, we would be on our way to the Caribbean now.
 If you are having dinner right now, I'll come back later.
 If we had set off earlier, we wouldn't be in this traffic jam now.
 What would you do if you were accused of murder?
 If I hadn't eaten that much, I would not feel so sick now.
 We would take another route if they had not closed the road.
 She only sings if she's in a good mood.
 If she were sensible, she would not have asked that question, by which she offended him so much.