Second Conditional / El segundo condicional

Sancho

Utilizamos el second conditional para hablar de cosas hipotéticas. Aunque esta condición se refiere al presente, nos referimos a cosas que son imposibles o poco probables o que no están ocurriendo.

Examples:
If I were rich, I would buy a yacht and sail the seven seas.
Si fuese rico, compraría un yate y navegaría por los siete mares.
(Pero ahora mismo no soy rico y esto no va a suceder.)
I wouldn’t be so beautiful if you weren’t my mother.
Yo no sería tan guapa si tú no fueses mi madre.
(Pero como sí que eres mi madre, soy muy guapa y no fea)
If pigs had wings, they could fly.
Si los cerdos tuviesen alas, podrían volar..
(Pero no las tienen y por eso no pueden volar ahora).

Para la condición se usa el pasado.

Fíjate en que en el primer ejemplo de arriba donde el verbo es “be,” hemos utilizado “were” en vez de “was” para la primera persona. Cuando el verbo de la condición es “be,” sea cual sea la persona o el número del sujeto, se suele utilizar “were.” En el caso de que el sujeto sea “I” se utiliza siempre “were” por raro que os suene.

Para el resultado que no se va a producir o tiene pocas probabilidades de producirse, utilizamos would + base verb. También se pueden utilizar could y might en vez de would si el contexto lo requiere.

Examples:
If I had a car, I would visit you.
Si tuviese un coche, te visitaría.
If I had a car, I could visit you.
Si tuviese un coche, te podría visitar.
If I had a car, I might visit you.
Si tuviese un coche, quizás te visitaría.

PRACTICE:

1. Herbert _________ (be) rich if he _________ (not be) such a spendthrift.
2. Priscilla ____________ (be) rich if she __________ (work) harder.
3. If Mother __________ (be) here, you __________ (not treat) me so badly.
4. I _________ (help) you if I __________ (can).
5. If my dog _________ (talk), we _________ (know) what happened.
6. We ________ (eat) what you cook if it __________ (taste) good.
7. Fe ______(live) with us if she______ (not have) to take care of her parents.
8. If I ________(be) a poet, I _____________ (write) a love poem for Sylvia.

Tevye

If I were a rich man, I wouldn’t have to work hard.

Si yo fuese un hombre rico, no tendría que trabajar tanto.

Sholem Aleichem

Have you read my stories about the milkman Tevye and his daughters? The musical "Fiddler on the Roof" is based on them. You can listen to Tevye use the second conditional clicking on "If I were a rich man..." 

¿Has leído mis cuentos sobre el lechero Tevye y sus hijas? El musical "El violinista en el tejado" está basado en ellos. Puedes esuchar a Tevye utilizar el segundo condicional inglés pinchando en "Si yo fuese rico..."

Second Conditional Yes/No questions:

Examples:
If it rained for forty days in the desert, would plants grow there?
Si lloviese durante cuarenta días en el desierto, ¿crecerían plantas allí?
Would you buy designer clothes if they were cheap?
¿Comprarías ropa de diseño si fuese barata?

PRACTICE:
1. ______ you ________ (clean) the garage if I _________ (pay) you to do it?
2. If Jane ________ (be) a nice person, _________ we _______ (love) her?
3. _____ we ____ (buy) the house if the bank ____ (loan) us enough money?
4. ______ you ______(marry) me if I _______ (be) handsome?
5. ________ she ________ (live) with us if she__________ (not be) married?
6. ________ you ________ (buy) that dress if it ________ (be) cheap?
7. ________ she ________ (pass) the test if she _________ (have) a tutor?

Second Conditional Wh- questions
Examples:
Who would buy your restaurant if you were to sell it?
¿Quién compraría tu restaurante si fueses a venderlo?
When would you go to Mallorca if you had a ticket to fly there?
¿Cuándo irías a Mallorca si tuvieses un billete para volar allí?
What would you give Lucy if it were her birthday?
¿Qué le darías a Lucy si fuese su cumpleaños?

PRACTICE:

1. Why _____ you _________ (help) Sara if she ________ (need) your help?
2. How___ he ___ (open)the safe if he _______ (not know) the combination?
3. Where _____ you _____(go) if they _______ (give) you a free train ticket?
4. How much ____ you ____ (spend) if you had to_______ (buy) a new car?
5. To whom____you_____ (award) the prize if you____(choose) the winner?
6. How often _____ you ______ (visit) us if you ________ (have) more time?
7. What _____ you _______ (do) if you _________(be) Bob?

We found all the images in this post on Images from the Internet.
Encontramos todas las imágenes de esta entrada en Imágenes de Internet.

ANSWERS / RESPUESTAS

PRACTICE:

1. Herbert WOULD (be) rich if he WEREN'T (not be) such a spendthrift. 

   SPENDTHRIFT = DERROCHADOR.

2. Priscilla COULD (be) rich if she WORKED (work) harder. PODRÍA SER
3. If Mother WERE (be) here, you WOULDN'T (not treat) me so badly. NO ME TRATARÍAS

4. I WOULD (help) you if I COULD (can).AQUI COULD ES EL PASADO DE CAN.
5. If my dog COULD (talk), we WOULD KNOW (know) what happened. AQUÍ TAMBIÉN 

6. We WOULD (eat) what you cook if it  TASTED (taste) good. COMERÍAMOS
7. Fe WOULD (live) with us if she DIDN'T HAVE (not have) to take care of her parents.VIVIRÍA 
8. If I  WERE (be) a poet, I WOULD WRITE (write) a love poem for Sylvia. ESCRIBIRÍA

PRACTICE:
1. WOULD you CLEAN (clean) the garage if I PAID (pay) you to do it?
2. If Jane WERE (be) a nice person, WOULD we LOVE (love) her?
3. COULD we BUY (buy) the house if the bank LOANED (loan) us enough money?
4. WOULD you MARRY (marry) me if I WERE (be) handsome?
5. WOULD  she LIVE (live) with us if she WEREN'T (not be) married?
6. WOULD you BUY  (buy) that dress if it WERE (be) cheap?
7. WOULD  she PASS (pass) the test if she HAD (have) a tutor?

PRACTICE:

1. Why WOULD you HELP (help) Sara if she NEEDED (need) your help?
2. How COULD  he OPEN (open)the safe if he DIDN'T KNOW (not know) the combination?
3. Where WOULD you  GO (go) if they GAVE (give) you a free train ticket?
4. How much MIGHT you SPEND (spend) if you BOUGHT (buy) a new car?
5. To whom WOULD you AWARD (award) the prize if you COULD(choose) the winner?
6. How often WOULD you VISIT (visit) us if you HAD (have) more time?
7. What WOULD you DO (do) if you  WERE (be) Bob?

COMO TE HABRÁS DADO CUENTA, EN CASI TODAS ESTAS ORACIONES SE EMPLEA WOULD. COULD (podría)  Y MIGHT (quizás lo haría), A VECES PUEDEN SUSTITUIR A WOULD, SEGÚN EL SENTIDO DE LA ORACIÓN. PERO ANTE LA DUDA, USA WOULD. 

CUANDO COULD APARECE EN LA CONDICIÓN, recuerda que ES EL PASADO DEL VERBO CAN.