3rd Conditional

This is Mike. Mike is 70 years old. This is his retirement party.

Mike was a bus driver for 50 years!
He met his wife at work. She was also a bus driver.
They have four children together.

Mike was a bus driver because his dad was a bus driver.
But he always had a secret dream job.
Can you guess what it was?

Mike wanted to be a firefighter! Is it possible for him to be a firefighter now?
No! He’s too old.

Age 70, Mike is thinking about what his life would have been like as a firefighter….

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have worn a firefighter’s uniform.”
?
Is Mike imagining a present or a past situation?
?
Is he imagining a real or imaginary situation?

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have rescued people.”
?
Is Mike imagining a present or a past situation?
?
Is he imagining a real or imaginary situation?

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have helped animals.”
?
Did Mike rescue animals?
?
Was is possible now, or in the past?

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have used a water hose.”
?
Is Mike thinking about the past or the present?
?
Is Mike thinking about something imaginary, or something real?

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have got an award.”
?
Is Mike thinking about the past or the present?
?
Is Mike thinking about something imaginary, or something real?

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have driven a fire truck.”
?
Is Mike thinking about the past or the present?
?
Is Mike thinking about something imaginary, or something real?

But then Mike remembers something important…

“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have met my wife!”

“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have had my children.”

“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have travelled the city in my bus.”

Mike hugged his wife and had a great retirement party.

Can you remember the sentences?
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have worn a firefighter’s uniform.”
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have rescued people.”
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have helped animals.”

Can you remember the sentences?
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have used a water hose.”
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have got an award.”
“If I had been a firefighter, I would have driven a fire truck.”

Can you remember the sentences?
“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have met my wife!”
“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have had my children.”
“If I had been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have travelled the city in my bus.”

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have driven a fire truck.”
Meaning:
This is the 3rd conditional. We use it to talk about an imaginary past situation: something that didn’t happen.
Form:
If I had been a firefighter, I would have driven a fire truck.
I would have driven a fire truck if I had been a firefighter.
if + past perfect
would + have + past participle
would + have + past participle
if + past perfect

“If I had been a firefighter, I would have driven a fire truck.”
Pronunciation:
had = ‘d.
‘would have’ sounds like ‘would’uv’.
Negative and question forms:
If I hadn’t been a firefighter, I wouldn’t have met my wife.
If you hadn’t been a firefighter, would you have met your wife?
What would you have done if you hadn’t been a firefighter?
Extra points: When do we use a comma in the 3rd conditional form?
We use a comma between clauses when ‘If’ is at the beginning of the sentence. When ‘if’ is in the middle of the two clauses, no comma is needed.

Use your ideas to complete these sentences. Be creative!
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If I had been born in the times of the dinosaurs,…
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