| Structure of the third conditional | ||
| positive | negative | question |
| If I'd (I had) known you were coming, I would have waited for you. | If she hadn't (had not) been ill, she would have gone to the cinema. | Would you have done it if you'd (you had) known earlier? |
| The third conditional - common mistakes | ||
| Common mistakes | Correct version | Why? |
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If I had asked him, he would have helped me. | In the if-clause we use the past perfect (had + past participle). We don't use 'would' or 'would have' in the if-clause. |
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If you had spoken to my mother, she would have told you where I was. |
The main clause has would + have + past participle. |
