Third Conditional Examples | Sentences And Questions

If you’re teaching or learning about the third conditional form, these third conditional examples will come in handy. It’s one thing to learn how to make the third conditional form, but in order to use it effectively, English language learners need to practice using this grammar structure a lot. Below you’ll find many third conditional questions and example sentences you or your students can use to master this useful grammar structure.

What Is The Third Conditional?

The third conditional is a grammar structure that we use to express a hypothetical (imaginary) event that was a consequence of something that did not happen. Third conditional statements and questions refer to only past events, while the socond conditional references the future.

How To Form The Third Conditional?

Making the structure for the 3^rd conditional is simple! Part A is the event that did not occur, formed by “if + had + past perfect”. Then, Part B is the imaginary consequence formed by “Would / Wouldn’t + have + past perfect”. Here is an example:

If it had been cheaper (Part A), then I would have bought it (Part B).

So, this is expressing that the item was actually expensive (since Part A did not occur), but in the opposite, hypothetical case, the consequence would have been buying it (Part B). Just remember, like the 2^nd conditional, you can say these statements and questions in either order! That is, you can say Part A first or Part B first. It’s up to you.

Third Conditional Example Sentences

Here are 30 third conditional example sentences. If you would like to download and print these example sentences and distribute them to your students, you can do so below.

1. If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
2. If my alarm had gone off, I wouldn’t have missed my bus.
3. If I had arrived earlier, I would have made the flight.
4. If you had warned me earlier, I would have been able to come.
5. If it hadn’t snowed, I could have driven here.
6. If she had apologized, I wouldn’t have been so upset.
7. If they had waited, we could have eaten together.
8. If we had gone to the store, we wouldn’t have been out of food.
9. If you had stolen the car, you would have gone to jail.
10. If I had studied Spanish, I would have moved to Spain.
11. If he had cut the grass earlier, it wouldn’t have been so tall later.
12. If she had cleaned her house, it would have sold quicker.
13. If they hadn’t gone out to eat so often, they would have saved more money.
14. If you hadn’t shown up late, you would have got the job.
15. If he had trained more, he would have won the match.
16. She would have been more successful if she had worked harder.
17. They would have given up if it had been any more difficult.
18. I would have gone to the store if it hadn’t rained.
19. You would have made more money if you had sold it for a higher price.
20. We would have gone to the museum if it hadn’t been closed.
21. She would have seen the horror film if the tickets hadn’t been sold out.
22. He would have biked here if his tire hadn’t gone flat.
23. I would have gone to the beach if I had brought my swim trunks.
24. They would have gone skiing if it hadn’t been so expensive.
25. We would have bought the bag if there had been a discount.
26. He would have eaten more if there had been any left.
27. I would have done the laundry if I had written myself a note.
28. The plants would have grown more if there had been more light.
29. The food would have tasted better if you had used more salt.
30. The test would have been easier if you had studied more.

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Download and print these 30 third conditional example sentences.

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Third Conditional Questions

Just like with 3^rd conditional statements, questions can be asked in either order, so you can use whichever is more comfortable for you! Here are 30 third conditional questions you can ask to practice this grammar structure. Again, if you would like to download this list, you can download the PDF below.

1. If you had won the lottery, what would you have bought?
2. If you had more time this week, what would have done?
3. If you hadn’t started learning English, which language would you have chosen?
4. If you had been born 100 years ago, how would your life have been different?
5. If you had been born a king, what would you have done?
6. If you had been born with superpowers, what would you have done differently in life?
7. If you had found $1000 in the street this morning, what would you have done?
8. If you had been the president during the pandemic, what would you have done?
9. If you had chosen a different location for your last vacation, where would you have picked?
10. If you had been born the opposite sex, what would your name have been?
11. If you had lived in medieval times, what would you have done for work?
12. If there hadn’t been a pandemic, what would you have done during that time?
13. If you hadn’t learned English, how would your life have been different?
14. If the internet had never been invented, what would have changed?
15. If your parents had decided to live somewhere else, how would your life have been different?
16. Who would have been your best friend if you had never met your current best friend?
17. How would the world have changed if we had invented teleportation?
18. How different would your life have been if you had never studied?
19. How different would your life have been if you had been born with 9 siblings?
20. How would your life have changed if you had been born in a different country?
21. What would you have worn if the weather had been different this morning?
22. What would you have done if there had been a fire this morning?
23. Where would you have gone to school if you had had the choice?
24. What time would you have woken up this morning if you had been able to choose?
25. What is a product you wouldn’t have bought if you had known it was bad.
26. What is a product you would have bought earlier if you had known how good it was?
27. What would you have done with your time if you hadn’t had so much homework growing up?
28. How would you have studied English if you hadn’t had access to a computer?
29. Which TV show would you have avoided if you had known it was bad.
30. Where would you have lived if you had been born as your favorite animal?

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Download and print these 30 third conditional questions.

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As you can see, it’s not as difficult as people may think! The great thing is that the conditionals are all about having the right formula. Once you remember the two parts, you can express more complicated and creative thoughts. So make sure you use these statements and questions in your next English class to get a conversation started!

Before you go, be sure to check out the related resources below.