Second Conditional

“Second Conditional” has two uses



First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true.

•If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)

•She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't happen)

Second, we can use it to talk to talk about imaginary, hypothetical or unreal situations. We use it to talk about the result of this imaginary situation.

•If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

If I won a lot of money, I’d buy a big house in the country.

In spoken English, we usually use a contracted form of would: I would = I'd, he would = he'd etc.

It is possible, in the condition, to say both 'If I were you ...' and 'If I was you ...' 'If I were you ...' is the traditional and more formal form, but 'If I was you ...' is very common nowadays."

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

•if + past simple, ...would/could + infinitive 

Second Conditional