“Se eu tivesse estudado mais, teria passado.” The third conditional imagines a different past: something that did not happen and its result, which also did not happen. It is the grammar of regrets, criticism and relief.“Se eu tivesse estudado mais, teria passado.” A terceira condicional imagina um passado diferente: algo que não aconteceu e o seu resultado, que também não aconteceu. É a gramática dos arrependimentos, das críticas e do alívio.
B1 Form and basic use
The if clause uses the past perfect (had + past participle), and the main clause uses would have + past participle. Both parts are contrary to the facts: we are talking about the past, and we know what really happened.A oração com if usa o past perfect (had + particípio), e a oração principal usa would have + particípio. As duas partes são contrárias aos fatos: estamos falando do passado e sabemos o que realmente aconteceu.
- If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam. (Se eu tivesse estudado mais, teria passado na prova.)
- If we had left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the flight. (Se a gente tivesse saído mais cedo, não teria perdido o voo.)
- If Júlia hadn’t called me, I would have forgotten the meeting. (Se a Júlia não tivesse me ligado, eu teria esquecido a reunião.)
- The team would have won if the referee had seen the foul. (O time teria ganhado se o juiz tivesse visto a falta.)
Each third conditional sentence hides two facts. Understanding them helps a lot in reading tests, including vestibular exams.Cada frase na terceira condicional esconde dois fatos. Entendê-los ajuda muito em provas de leitura, inclusive no vestibular.
| Sentence | Português | What really happened |
|---|---|---|
| If I had studied, I would have passed. | Se eu tivesse estudado, teria passado. | I didn’t study. I didn’t pass. |
| If it hadn’t rained, we would have gone to the park. | Se não tivesse chovido, teríamos ido ao parque. | It rained. We didn’t go. |
| If you had asked me, I would have helped. | Se você tivesse me pedido, eu teria ajudado. | You didn’t ask. I didn’t help. |
Contractions and pronunciation
In speech, both had and would can be contracted to ‘d. In the if clause, ‘d means had; in the main clause, it means would. Would have sounds like “would’ve” or “wouldn’t’ve” in fast speech.Na fala, tanto had quanto would podem virar ‘d. Na oração com if, ‘d significa had; na oração principal, significa would. Would have soa como “would’ve” ou “wouldn’t’ve” na fala rápida.
- If I’d known, I’d have come to your party. (Se eu soubesse, teria ido à sua festa.)
- What would you have done if you’d lost your passport? (O que você teria feito se tivesse perdido o passaporte?)
Would of? No!
✗ I would of helped you. ✓ I would have helped you.“Would’ve” soa como “would of”, mas a forma escrita é sempre would have. Nunca escreva “would of”.
Teacher’s tip
Notice that Portuguese often says “se eu soubesse” even for the past. In English, a past situation needs the past perfect: If I had known, not “If I knew”.Repare que em português muitas vezes dizemos “se eu soubesse” mesmo para o passado. Em inglês, uma situação passada exige o past perfect: If I had known, e não “If I knew”.
B1+ Second or third conditional? Could have and might have
The key question is time. The second conditional imagines a different present or future. The third conditional imagines a different past, which can no longer change.A pergunta-chave é o tempo. A segunda condicional imagina um presente ou futuro diferente. A terceira condicional imagina um passado diferente, que não pode mais mudar.
Second: unreal present
The situation is not true now.A situação não é verdadeira agora.
If I had a car, I would drive to work. (Se eu tivesse carro, iria de carro para o trabalho.)
Third: unreal past
The situation was not true then.A situação não era verdadeira naquele momento.
If I had had a car, I would have driven to work. (Se eu tivesse tido carro, teria ido de carro para o trabalho.)
| Conditional | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| second (now) | If she were here, she would help us. | Se ela estivesse aqui, nos ajudaria. |
| third (past) | If she had been here, she would have helped us. | Se ela tivesse estado aqui, teria nos ajudado. |
| second (future) | If he trained harder, he would win the next race. | Se ele treinasse mais, ganharia a próxima corrida. |
| third (past) | If he had trained harder, he would have won last week. | Se ele tivesse treinado mais, teria ganhado semana passada. |
Could have and might have in the main clause
Instead of would have, use could have for a past ability or opportunity (teria conseguido, poderia ter) and might have for a less certain result (talvez tivesse).Em vez de would have, use could have para uma capacidade ou oportunidade no passado (teria conseguido, poderia ter) e might have para um resultado menos certo (talvez tivesse).
- If you had told me earlier, I could have helped you. (Se você tivesse me contado antes, eu poderia ter te ajudado.)
- If Pedro had applied, he might have got the scholarship. (Se o Pedro tivesse se inscrito, talvez tivesse conseguido a bolsa.)
- If the bus hadn’t broken down, we could have seen the whole show. (Se o ônibus não tivesse quebrado, teríamos conseguido ver o show inteiro.)
Regrets, criticism and relief
The third conditional is very common for talking about how we feel about the past. A useful structure is If it hadn’t been for… (se não fosse por…), which shows that someone or something made a big difference.A terceira condicional é muito comum para falar de como nos sentimos em relação ao passado. Uma estrutura útil é If it hadn’t been for… (se não fosse por…), que mostra que alguém ou algo fez uma grande diferença.
- If I hadn’t stayed up so late, I wouldn’t have been so tired at the interview. (Se eu não tivesse ficado acordado até tão tarde, não teria ficado tão cansado na entrevista.)
- If you had checked the address, we wouldn’t have got lost. (Se você tivesse conferido o endereço, a gente não teria se perdido.)
- If it hadn’t been for my English teacher, I would never have studied abroad. (Se não fosse pela minha professora de inglês, eu nunca teria estudado no exterior.)
What if the result is in the present?
Sometimes a past condition has a present result: If I had taken the job, I would live in Porto Alegre now. This combination is called a mixed conditional, and it is a B2 topic.Às vezes uma condição no passado tem um resultado no presente: If I had taken the job, I would live in Porto Alegre now. (Se eu tivesse aceitado o emprego, moraria em Porto Alegre agora.) Essa combinação se chama condicional mista e é um tema do nível B2.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ If I would have known, I would have come. ✓ If I had known, I would have come.Na oração com if, use had + particípio, nunca would have.
✗ If I knew about the party yesterday, I would have gone. ✓ If I had known about the party yesterday, I would have gone.Para o passado, “se eu soubesse” vira if I had known.
✗ If she had called, I would helped her. ✓ If she had called, I would have helped her.Não esqueça o have entre would e o particípio.
✗ If we had took a taxi, we would have arrived on time. ✓ If we had taken a taxi, we would have arrived on time.Depois de had, use o particípio (taken), não o passado simples (took).
✗ I would of called you. ✓ I would have called you.A forma escrita é sempre would have.
Quick Summary
| Use | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| unreal past | If I had studied, I would have passed. | Se eu tivesse estudado, teria passado. |
| negative | If it hadn’t rained, we’d have gone out. | Se não tivesse chovido, teríamos saído. |
| question | What would you have done? | O que você teria feito? |
| past ability | If you’d asked, I could have helped. | Se você tivesse pedido, eu poderia ter ajudado. |
| less certain result | He might have won if he’d trained. | Talvez ele tivesse ganhado se tivesse treinado. |
| unreal present (second) | If I had a car, I’d drive. | Se eu tivesse carro, iria dirigindo. |
Practice Time
Quiz