Second Conditional: Definition, Structure, and Their Use in English

Learn second-conditional sentences with their definition, structure, and usage in English. This lesson is going to be very helpful for you about second conditional sentences because it contains the easiest method and explanation of second conditional sentences with useful example sentences.

Definition of Second Conditional

Like a first conditional, a second conditional sentence consists of two clauses: an ‘if‘ clause and the main clause. We use different verb forms in each part of a second conditional:

• If I won a million dollars, I would buy a new car.

Note that this “past simple” form is slightly different from usual in the case of the verb BE. Whatever the subject, the verb form is “were”, not “was”.

Second conditional examples:

• If I were you, I would quit smoking.
• If I were the president, I would lower taxes.

If the “if” clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the “if” clause comes second, there is no need for a comma.

For example:

• They would stay longer if they had more time.

Sometimes it’s possible to use “should”, “could”, or “might” in place of “would”.

For example:

• If I had more free time, I could travel around the world.
• If I won a million dollars, I could stop working.