Getting started
Last Saturday your team lost the final 2–1. In the last minute, Ben missed a penalty. After the match he said:
If I had scored, we would have won the cup.
Ben is talking about the past. He did not score, and the team did not win. Nothing can change that now. He imagines how the past could have been different. For this, English uses if-clauses type 3.
Auf Deutsch: Typ 3 beschreibt eine Bedingung in der Vergangenheit, die nicht erfüllt wurde: „Wenn ich getroffen hätte, hätten wir den Pokal gewonnen.“
Explanation
Tenses in type 3
| if-clause | main clause |
|---|---|
| past perfect (had + past participle) | would have + past participle |
| If I had scored, | we would have won. |
| If you had told me, | I would have helped you. |
| If we hadn't missed the bus, | we wouldn't have been late. |
The facts are always the opposite of the sentence:
- If I had scored, we would have won. Fact: I didn't score, and we didn't win.
- If we hadn't missed the bus, we wouldn't have been late. Fact: We missed the bus and we were late.
Auf Deutsch: Der if-Satz bekommt das past perfect, der Hauptsatz would have + 3. Form. In keinem Teil steht would had.
Short forms
In speech the forms are often shortened:
- If I'd known, I'd have come. Here I'd = I had in the if-clause and I would in the main clause.
- In speech, would have sounds like would've. Never write would of.
could have and might have
- If you had asked me, I could have helped you. (I would have been able to.)
- If they had left earlier, they might have caught the train. (perhaps)
Type 3 for regrets and criticism
Type 3 is often used to talk about mistakes and regrets:
- If I had revised more, I would have passed the test.
- If you had listened, you would have known what to do.
Examples
Example 1: A bad day
Yesterday was a terrible day. I forgot to set my alarm. If I had set it, I wouldn't have overslept. I missed breakfast. If I had eaten something, I wouldn't have felt so tired in the test. I also left my umbrella at home. If I had taken it, I wouldn't have got wet.
Each type 3 sentence imagines a different past. The facts are the opposite: no alarm, no breakfast, no umbrella.
Example 2: From facts to type 3
| fact | type 3 sentence |
|---|---|
| It rained, so we didn't go to the beach. | If it hadn't rained, we would have gone to the beach. |
| She didn't know your number, so she didn't call. | If she had known your number, she would have called. |
| The tickets were expensive, so we didn't buy them. | If the tickets hadn't been so expensive, we would have bought them. |
Positive facts become negative in the type 3 sentence, and negative facts become positive.
Rule
If-clause type 3 (unreal past): if + past perfect, would / could / might have + past participle. The sentence says the opposite of what really happened. No would in the if-clause, and never would of.
Exercises
Grundlagen
- Put the verbs into the correct form. a) If you (tell) me about the party, I (come). b) If we (not / get) lost, we (arrive) on time. c) She (pass) the test if she (study) harder.
- What are the facts? Write two sentences. If Tom had brought his map, we wouldn't have got lost.
Weiter
- Write type 3 sentences from these facts. a) I didn't hear the phone, so I didn't answer. b) We took the wrong road, so we arrived late. c) He ate too much cake, so he felt sick.
- Correct the mistakes. a) If I would have known, I would have helped. b) If she had asked me, I would of said yes. c) If we had more time yesterday, we would have visited the castle.
Knobeln
- Think of a real event in history or in a story you know. Write three type 3 sentences about how things could have been different.
- Write a short text about a day that went wrong (60 to 80 words). Use at least four type 3 sentences.
Lösungen
- a) had told, would have come b) hadn't got, would have arrived c) would have passed, had studied
- Tom didn't bring his map. We got lost.
- a) If I had heard the phone, I would have answered. b) If we hadn't taken the wrong road, we wouldn't have arrived late. (also: we would have arrived on time) c) If he hadn't eaten so much cake, he wouldn't have felt sick.
- a) If I had known, I would have helped. (no would in the if-clause) b) If she had asked me, I would have said yes. (would have, not would of) c) If we had had more time yesterday, we would have visited the castle. (past perfect: had had)
- For example, about the Titanic: If the crew had seen the iceberg earlier, the ship wouldn't have hit it. If there had been more lifeboats, more people would have survived. If the ship had gone more slowly, it might have stopped in time.
- Expected: a short narrative in the simple past, four or more type 3 sentences with had + past participle in the if-clause and would / could / might have + past participle in the main clause, logical link between fact and imagined past.