This document discusses the 2nd conditional in English grammar. It begins by providing an example of a 2nd conditional sentence: "If it rained, we'd stay at home." It then explains that the 2nd conditional uses a past tense in the if-clause (e.g. "rained") and a modal verb like "would" in the result clause. The document outlines the steps to form an unreal present tense, which is used in 2nd conditional sentences to refer to hypothetical or unlikely present situations, such as "If I were rich, I'd buy a nice car." Overall, the document provides an overview of how to identify and construct 2nd conditional sentences in English.

1. 2nd Conditional

2. If A ⇒ B

3. If it rained, we’d stay at home.

4. If A ⇒ B
if condition result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.

5. If A ⇒ B
if condition result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.
what tense is
this?

6. If A ⇒ B
if condition
past subjunctive
result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.

7. If A ⇒ B
if condition
past subjunctive
result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.
what time
does it refer
to?

8. If A ⇒ B
if condition
past subjunctive
result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.
and what
tense is this?

9. If A ⇒ B
if condition
past subjunctive
result
If it rained, we’d stay at home.
we’d stay
=
we would stay

10. If A ⇒ B
if condition
past subjunctive
result
would (conditional)
If it rained, we’d stay at home.

11. If A ⇒ B
if
2nd conditional
condition
past subjunctive
result
would (conditional)
If it rained, we’d stay at home.

12. If it rained, we’d stay at home.
NOT if it would rain…

13. Past Subjunctive

14. Past Subjunctive
congiuntivo

15. verb (INF) past simple past subjunctive
arrive
rain
work
study
take
eat
have
arrived
rained
worked
studied
took
ate
had
arrived
rained
worked
studied
took
ate
had

16. identical !
verb (INF) past simple past subjunctive
arrive
rain
work
study
take
eat
have
arrived
rained
worked
studied
took
ate
had
arrived
rained
worked
studied
took
ate
had

17. past simple past subjunctive
I
he
she
it
was were (was)
we
you
they
were were

18. different
(usually)
past simple past subjunctive
I
he
she
it
was were (was)
we
you
they
were were

19. 1st meaning

20. If I won the lottery,
I’d buy a big house.

21. If I won the lottery,
I’d buy a big house.
not impossible

22. If I won the lottery,
I’d buy a big house.
“I can win the
lottery!”

23. If I won the lottery,
I’d buy a big house.
remote
possibility

24. 2nd meaning

25. If I had a big house,
I’d give a lot of parties.

26. If I had a big house,
I’d give a lot of parties.
impossible

27. If I had a big house,
I’d give a lot of parties.
“I don’t have a
big house.”

28. If I had a big house,
I’d give a lot of parties.
unreal present

29. future meaning > remote possibility
present meaning > unreal present

30. construction of the unreal
present

31. steps: form example
1. real present I don’t have a big house
2. make +ive > -ive
and –ive > +ive
I have a big house
3. go 1 tense back I had a big house
4. add context If I had a big house, I’d give…

32. steps: form example
1. real present I don’t have a big house
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I have a big house
3. Go 1 tense back I had a big house
4. Add context If I had a big house, I’d give…

33. steps: form example
1. real present I don’t have a big house
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I have a big house
3. go 1 tense back I had a big house
4. add context If I had a big house, I’d give…

34. steps: form example
1. real present I don’t have a big house
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I have a big house
3. go 1 tense back I had a big house
4. add context If I had a big house, I’d give…

35. steps: form example
1. real present I’m at university now
2. make +ive > -ive
and –ive > +ive
I am not at university now
3. go 1 tense back I were not at university now
4. add context If I were not at university now,
I’d be…

36. steps: form example
1. real present I’m at university now
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I am not at university now
3. go 1 tense back I were not at university now
4. add context If I were not at university now,
I’d be…

37. steps: form example
1. real present I’m at university now
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I am not at university now
3. go 1 tense back I were not at university now
4. add context If I were not at university now,
I’d be…

38. steps: form example
1. real present I’m at university now
2. make +ive  -ive
and –ive  +ive
I am not at university now
3. go 1 tense back I were not at university now
4. add context If I were not at university now,
I’d be…

39. make some unreal presents

40. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …
She lives outside Rome
We aren’t stupid
I don’t have your number
He can’t do this exercise
They work very hard
You are my friend

41. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome
We aren’t stupid
I don’t have your number
He can’t do this exercise
They work very hard
You are my friend

42. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid
I don’t have your number
He can’t do this exercise
They work very hard
You are my friend

43. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid …we were stupid…
I don’t have your number
He can’t do this exercise
They work very hard
You are my friend

44. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid …we were stupid…
I don’t have your number …I had your number…
He can’t do this exercise
They work very hard
You are my friend

45. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid …we were stupid…
I don’t have your number …I had your number…
He can’t do this exercise …he could do this exercise…
They work very hard
You are my friend

46. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid …we were stupid…
I don’t have your number …I had your number…
He can’t do this exercise …he could do this exercise…
They work very hard …they didn’t work very hard…
You are my friend

47. real present unreal present
It’s Monday …it weren’t Monday…
She lives outside Rome …she didn’t live outside Rome…
We aren’t stupid …we were stupid…
I don’t have your number …I had your number…
He can’t do this exercise …he could do this exercise…
They work very hard …they didn’t work very hard…
You are my friend …you weren’t my friend…

48. now write some 2nd conditionals

49. If it weren’t Monday…
If she didn’t live outside Rome…
If we were stupid…
If I had your number…
If he could do this exercise…
If they didn’t work very hard…
If you weren’t my friend…

50. terminology

51. 1st conditional
+
2nd conditional
+
3rd conditional
=
the conditional sentences, or
the conditionals

52. I would / could / should / might
do etc.
=
the conditional tense, or
the conditional

54. www.davidnicholson.it