English · Education and Career Choices

2nd conditional — hypothesizing about study/career choices

if + past simple, would + base verb for a choice that is not real yet

  • Foreign languages important
  • Literature and philosophy important

6 minutes

The academic content is in Arabic, as at the BAC and as in the app.

What the syllabus expects from you

  • 2nd conditional (if + past simple, would + base verb) for a hypothetical present/future about study/career choices

The method

  1. Test: is the condition realistic (1st) or hypothetical (2nd)? choose the tense pair accordingly

The common mistakes

  • Using 'would' in the if-clause
  • Mixing 1st and 2nd conditional forms

From the lesson

Think of a student who has not chosen a path yet. She imagines a choice that is only possible, not real.

The vocabulary

  • if I were ... , I would ... (لو كنت ... لكنت)

What is not on the syllabus

  • wish/desire (treated separately, next concept)
  • warnings with unless (treated separately)

Builds on