Two friends are discussing their travel experiences. As you read and / or listen, pay attention to how they talk about past regrets and imagined past results.
Emma: We’ve travelled quite a lot over the years. Which type of tourism do you think suits you best?
Matthew: I used to prefer active tourism. Two years ago, I went hiking in the mountains. But if I had prepared better equipment, I wouldn’t have got injured.
Emma: What happened?
Matthew: I didn’t take proper boots. If I had chosen stronger ones, I wouldn’t have slipped on the trail.
Emma: That’s why I prefer leisure tourism. Last summer I stayed at an all-inclusive hotel in a resort. It was relaxing. But if we had booked earlier, we would have paid a lower price.
Matthew: That’s true. Planning makes a big difference. Have you ever considered medical tourism?
Emma: Actually, yes. A friend travelled abroad for cosmetic surgery. She chose a private clinic that seemed reliable. But if she had checked more information, she might have avoided some problems during recovery.
Matthew: That sounds serious. Medical tourism can be risky. If patients had researched the clinic carefully, they would have avoided unnecessary troubles.
Emma: I agree. Recently, I’ve started to think local tourism is the best option.
Matthew: Why?
Emma: Because during the pandemic, we explored our own country. If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered so many beautiful places.
Matthew: That’s true. And local tourism supports small businesses. If more people had chosen domestic travel, the local economy wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Emma: So maybe the best type of tourism depends on the situation.
Matthew: At least now we know what to do next time.
Matthew: I used to prefer active tourism. Two years ago, I went hiking in the mountains. But if I had prepared better equipment, I wouldn’t have got injured.
Emma: What happened?
Matthew: I didn’t take proper boots. If I had chosen stronger ones, I wouldn’t have slipped on the trail.
Emma: That’s why I prefer leisure tourism. Last summer I stayed at an all-inclusive hotel in a resort. It was relaxing. But if we had booked earlier, we would have paid a lower price.
Matthew: That’s true. Planning makes a big difference. Have you ever considered medical tourism?
Emma: Actually, yes. A friend travelled abroad for cosmetic surgery. She chose a private clinic that seemed reliable. But if she had checked more information, she might have avoided some problems during recovery.
Matthew: That sounds serious. Medical tourism can be risky. If patients had researched the clinic carefully, they would have avoided unnecessary troubles.
Emma: I agree. Recently, I’ve started to think local tourism is the best option.
Matthew: Why?
Emma: Because during the pandemic, we explored our own country. If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered so many beautiful places.
Matthew: That’s true. And local tourism supports small businesses. If more people had chosen domestic travel, the local economy wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Emma: So maybe the best type of tourism depends on the situation.
Matthew: At least now we know what to do next time.
Learn: in the dialogue, Emma and Matthew reflected on past travel experiences and imagined how different choices could have changed the outcome; now let us examine the grammatical structure they used to express these unreal past situations.
We use the third conditional to talk about:
- a past situation that did not happen;
- an imagined result in the past;
- regret;
- criticism;
- reflection.
The past cannot be changed. We are only imagining a different result.
Form:
If + had + past participle (V3) — would / might have + past participle (V3)
If + had + past participle (V3) — would / might have + past participle (V3)
If I had understood the instructions properly, I would have passed the exam.
Negative Form
If + had not (hadn’t) + V3 — would not have + V3
If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered new places.
If + had not (hadn’t) + V3 — would not have + V3
If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered new places.
Modal Variations:
We can use:
We can use:
- would have — certain result;
- might have — possible result
If she had checked more information, she might have avoided problems.
“Might have” = possible result, not 100% certain.
“Might have” = possible result, not 100% certain.
Let’s look at the sentences from the dialogue:
If I had prepared better equipment, I wouldn’t have got injured.
Real situation:
He did not prepare properly — He got injured.
If we had booked earlier, we would have paid a lower price.
Real situation:
They booked late — They paid more.
If she had checked more information, she might have avoided some problems.
Real situation:
She didn’t check carefully — She had problems.
If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered beautiful places.
Real situation:
They travelled locally — They discovered new places.
If more people had chosen domestic travel, the local economy wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Real situation:
Fewer people travelled locally — The economy suffered.
If I had prepared better equipment, I wouldn’t have got injured.
Real situation:
He did not prepare properly — He got injured.
If we had booked earlier, we would have paid a lower price.
Real situation:
They booked late — They paid more.
If she had checked more information, she might have avoided some problems.
Real situation:
She didn’t check carefully — She had problems.
If we hadn’t travelled locally, we wouldn’t have discovered beautiful places.
Real situation:
They travelled locally — They discovered new places.
If more people had chosen domestic travel, the local economy wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Real situation:
Fewer people travelled locally — The economy suffered.
Revise: you already know some types of conditional sentences from form 6: Conditional Sentences Type 1 and 2
Revise: formation of the Past Perfect you studied in form 8: Past Perfect
Revise: irregular verbs. You need them to form the Past Perfect: Common Irregular Verbs. Table