Mixed third/second conditional
We use this combination to talk about a hypothetical condition happening in the past (third conditional) with a present result (second conditional).
If I had been elected, I would be the president now.
^condition (3rd) ^result (2nd)
If I had won the lottery, I would be rich.
^condition (3rd) ^result (2nd)
I might have a better job now if I hadn't dropped out of school.
^result (2nd) ^condition (3rd)Mixed second/third conditional
We use this combination to talk about a hypothetical condition happening in the present (second conditional) with a past result (third conditional).
If I were a man, they would have given me the job.
^condition (2nd) ^result (3rd)
If I didn't have so much work, I would have gone to the party last night.
^condition (2nd) ^result (3rd)
I would have understood them if I spoke German.
^result (3rd) ^condition (2nd)Tip
In mixed second/third conditionals, the hypothetical present situation is assumed to have also been true in the past, impacting a past outcome.
For example, in the sentence: “I would have understood them if I spoke German.”, the speaker implies that they didn’t speak German in the past when they wanted to understand the other people.
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