Mixed Conditionals | English Grammar | Examples & Practice

Summary

In this mmmEnglish video, Emma introduces mixed conditionals, which blend two different times in a single sentence, making them a fascinating aspect of English grammar. She explains the concept by contrasting it with the zero, first, second, and third conditionals, focusing on their relationship with time rather than tense. Emma provides examples and clarifies the difference between time and verb tense, emphasizing the importance of understanding this distinction. She then illustrates how to construct mixed conditionals with past actions leading to present results and vice versa, offering practical exercises for viewers to practice and internalize these complex sentence structures.

Takeaways

• 📚 Mixed conditionals are sentences that combine two different times, typically a past action with a present result or vice versa.
• 🕒 The key concept in mixed conditionals is the relationship between time and verb tense, which are not always the same.
• 🔄 Mixed conditionals allow for movement through time, connecting past actions with present outcomes or present conditions with past results.
• 📉 To form a mixed conditional, one clause must refer to the past (using past perfect tense) and the other to the present (using present conditional tense).
• 📈 Common combinations include past action with present result, present condition with past result, and future action with hypothetical past result.
• 🔄 The order of 'if' clause and main clause can be changed without losing the meaning, maintaining the hypothetical nature of the sentence.
• 🤔 Mixed conditionals are used to express unreal or hypothetical situations that cannot be changed, such as past actions affecting the present.
• 📝 Practice is essential for mastering mixed conditionals, as they require understanding the relationship between time references and verb tenses.
• 📖 Reading books and identifying conditional sentences can help reinforce understanding of mixed conditional structures.
• 💬 Engaging in discussions, asking questions, and sharing sentences in the comments can provide additional practice and feedback.
• 🌟 The video script encourages learners to focus on the time relationships rather than getting overwhelmed by the grammar tenses.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is mixed conditional sentences in English, which combine two different times in one sentence.

What are mixed conditionals?

Mixed conditionals are conditional sentences that mix two different times, allowing the speaker to express a past action with a present result or vice versa.

Why are mixed conditionals considered interesting?

Mixed conditionals are considered interesting because they allow for the expression of hypothetical situations that span across different time frames, adding a layer of complexity and nuance to language.

What is the purpose of the video for someone who already knows how to use mixed conditionals?

For someone who already knows how to use mixed conditionals, the video serves as a review and a chance to reinforce their understanding and confidence in using them.

How does the video help to clarify the concept of time in conditionals?

The video clarifies the concept of time in conditionals by distinguishing between time and verb tense, and by providing examples that show how different tenses can refer to the same time.

What are the common combinations of tenses used in mixed conditionals?

The two most common combinations in mixed conditionals are using the past perfect tense in the 'if' clause and the present conditional in the main clause, and using the past simple tense in the 'if' clause with a hypothetical past result in the main clause.

How can one practice using mixed conditionals?

One can practice using mixed conditionals by creating their own sentences with different 'if' clauses and corresponding results or outcomes, and by engaging in exercises like the mini quiz suggested in the video.

What is the significance of understanding the relationship between time and tense in mixed conditionals?

Understanding the relationship between time and tense in mixed conditionals is significant because it helps learners to correctly form sentences that express hypothetical or unreal situations across different time frames.

How does the video address the potential confusion between time and tense?

The video addresses the potential confusion by providing clear examples and explanations that distinguish between time as a reference point and tense as a grammatical form used to express that time.

What advice does the video give for dealing with the complexity of mixed conditionals?

The video advises learners to focus less on the complicated grammar tenses and more on the relationships with time, to practice creating sentences, and to review and remind themselves of the structures by engaging with the material repeatedly.

How can learners get feedback on their understanding of mixed conditionals after watching the video?

Learners can get feedback on their understanding by participating in the mini quiz, writing their own sentences in the comments section, and asking questions if they have any.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Mixed Conditionals

Emma from mmmEnglish introduces the concept of mixed conditionals, which are sentences that combine two different times. She assures viewers that she will guide them through understanding and practicing these complex sentences. Mixed conditionals are useful for expressing hypothetical situations that involve actions from different time periods, such as a past action leading to a present result. Emma emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between time and verb tense, using examples to illustrate that different tenses can refer to the same time period.

05:03

🔍 Understanding Mixed Conditional Structures

This section delves into the specifics of constructing mixed conditional sentences, focusing on the two most common combinations: a past action with a present result and a present condition with a past result. Emma explains that these sentences are used to express unreal or hypothetical situations and illustrates this with examples. She also touches on the flexibility of clause order in conditional sentences and introduces the concept of using mixed conditionals to discuss future actions with hypothetical past results, providing advanced examples to demonstrate this usage.

10:06

📝 Practicing Mixed Conditionals with Mini-Quiz

Emma invites viewers to engage in a mini-quiz to practice creating mixed conditional sentences. She provides 'if' clauses in the past and prompts viewers to think of present results, encouraging creativity and application of the concepts learned. Additionally, she asks viewers to consider present 'if' clauses and respond with past results, reinforcing the understanding of mixed conditionals. Emma emphasizes the importance of practice and revisiting the lesson to solidify understanding, and she encourages viewers to ask questions and share their sentences in the comments for feedback.

Keywords

💡Conditionals

Conditionals are grammatical structures used to express different types of hypothetical or real situations and their possible outcomes. In the video's context, conditionals are the main theme, with a focus on 'mixed conditionals,' which combine two different times in one sentence to express hypothetical situations that involve both past and present or future elements. For example, 'If I had woken up earlier, I would be at work already.'

💡Mixed Conditionals

Mixed conditionals are a specific type of conditional sentence that mixes two different times, typically a past condition with a present or future result, or vice versa. They are central to the video's lesson, which aims to clarify how to construct and use these sentences effectively. The script uses the example 'If I had saved more money, I would own this house.' to illustrate a mixed conditional with a past condition and a present result.

💡Zero Conditional

The zero conditional, also known as the real conditional, is used to express facts or general truths. It is mentioned in the script as one of the basic conditional forms, used to talk about things that are always true, such as 'If you heat ice, it melts.'

💡First Conditional

The first conditional is used to talk about likely or possible future events based on present conditions. It is briefly mentioned in the script as a way to discuss likely present situations, such as 'If it rains, the ground will be wet.'

💡Second Conditional

The second conditional is used to express hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future. It is referenced in the script to describe situations that are not real but imagined, like 'If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.'

💡Third Conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about past situations that did not happen. It is mentioned in the script to illustrate past hypothetical situations, such as 'If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.'

💡Time

Time is a key concept in the script, as it differentiates the types of conditionals and is crucial for understanding mixed conditionals. The script emphasizes that time is not the same as verb tense, and understanding the time reference is essential for correctly using mixed conditionals, as in 'If I had woken up earlier (past), I would be at work already (present).'

💡Verb Tenses

Verb tenses are used to indicate the time an action takes place. The script clarifies that while verb tenses are used to express different times, they should not be confused with the concept of time itself. For instance, 'I had a dog when I was a child.' is in the past simple, while 'She was cleaning all day yesterday.' is in the past continuous, both referring to the past.

💡Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. In the context of mixed conditionals, the script explains that the past perfect is used in the 'if' clause to set a hypothetical past condition, as in 'If I had saved more money (past perfect), I would own this house (present conditional).'

💡Present Conditional

The present conditional is used to express possible or likely results in the present based on a condition. The script illustrates its use in the main clause of mixed conditionals to show a hypothetical present outcome, such as 'If I had woken up earlier (past), I would be at work already (present conditional).'

💡Practice

Practice is emphasized in the script as an essential part of learning and mastering the use of mixed conditionals. The video includes a mini quiz to encourage viewers to apply what they've learned, such as creating their own sentences with mixed conditionals based on given 'if' clauses, like 'If I had won the lottery...'

Highlights

Mixed conditionals are introduced, which combine two different times in one sentence.

The importance of understanding time in mixed conditionals is emphasized, distinct from verb tense.

Explanation of how 'if' clauses and main clauses in mixed conditionals represent different times.

Transformation of a simple past conditional into a mixed conditional by changing the time of the main clause.

Two common combinations of mixed conditionals: past action with present result and present condition with past result.

The use of past perfect and present conditional tenses in forming mixed conditionals.

The flexibility of clause order in conditional sentences while maintaining meaning.

The concept of hypothetical situations in mixed conditionals and their unreal nature.

How to form a mixed conditional with a present condition and a hypothetical past result.

The use of the second conditional to express hypothetical present situations.

Advanced use of mixed conditionals with future actions and hypothetical past results.

Practical advice on focusing on time relationships rather than complicated grammar tenses.

A mini quiz is introduced to practice creating mixed conditional sentences.

Instructions for creating mixed conditionals with past 'if' clauses and present results.

Guidance on constructing sentences with present 'if' clauses that result in a different past.

Encouragement to engage with the material by pausing the video to create sentences.

Suggestions for reinforcing learning through reviewing, highlighting, and analyzing conditional sentences in reading.

Invitation for feedback and sharing of the lesson with others who might benefit.

Transcripts

Hey there I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!

I've been talking about conditionals a lot lately

and this video is no exception

but this one is one of the most interesting of all

because we're going to be talking about

mixed conditional sentences.

Mixed conditionals are exactly what they sound like,

a conditional sentence that mixes two different times

in one sentence.

That sounds a little tricky

but I'm here to go over it with you and to help you

practise with me later on in this lesson so don't worry.

If you had learned how to use mixed conditionals

already, you wouldn't need to watch this lesson.

Check it out.

That is a mixed conditional sentence

and by the end of this video, you'll be feeling

much more confident about using mixed conditionals

as you speak in English.

So let's go!

If you've watched some of my previous lessons

or perhaps you've studied conditionals at school,

well you'll know that the zero conditional is used

to talk about facts and things that are generally true.

The first conditional talks about

a likely present situation.

The second talks about hypothetical or highly

unlikely present or future situations.

And the third conditional is a past situation

which didn't happen.

So these are all useful for talking about

situations that relate to actions in isolation

in their own time.

So the third conditional relates to the past.

But mixed conditionals help you to move through time

so a past action with a present result.

Gets exciting!

As I mentioned earlier, a key idea

when we use mixed conditionals is time.

But don't confuse time with verb tense.

So, of course, we use different verb tenses to express

different times, that's true

but time and tense are not always the same thing.

So if you take a look at a couple of sentences.

I had a dog when I was a child.

She was cleaning all day yesterday.

So are these two sentences using the same verb tense?

This is the past simple

and this one is the past continuous.

They're not using the same tense

but they are referring to the same time, right?

They both take place in the past so they have the same

time reference.

And like I said earlier, mixed conditionals

are conditional sentences that use

two different times in them.

They help us to move between two times.

So the 'if' clause and the main clause

in a mixed conditional sentence

have different times that work together.

So we take a look at an example.

If I had woken up earlier, I wouldn't have missed the bus.

So both these clauses take place in the past, right?

I'm talking about this morning,

yesterday morning or some other morning in the past

and the result, that I missed the bus,

also happened in the past.

So I already missed the bus, I can't change that now.

So let's change this sentence a little to make it a mixed

conditional.

To do that, we need

one of the clauses to be in a different time.

So our 'if' clause is happening in the past, right?

So let's make our main clause about the present.

If I had woken up earlier, I would be at work already.

I wouldn't have missed the bus so I would be

at work already now, in the present.

So now we've got a mixed conditional sentence.

One clause refers to a past action

and the other refers to the present. See?

It's not as hard as you think once you break it down

but it takes practice so let's keep going!

There are a few different ways that we can do this.

You can mix and match several tenses and times

together to make them a mixed conditional sentence.

But I want to focus on the two most common

combinations right?

So a past action and a present result

which is just the example that we just looked at

and then a present condition and a past result.

So remember in both of these sentences

we're talking about something that's unreal.

In the first, we're talking about changing a past action

and the hypothetical present result that would happen

but it can't happen

because we can't change the past, right?

And in the second, we imagine that the present

were different. Now it's not but if it were

then how would the past

hypothetically have been different as a result?

It's a little confusing I know. Let's keep going.

So to create the first one we need the past perfect

in the 'if' clause and the present conditional

in the main clause.

So if this thing had happened,

then that thing would happen.

If I had saved more money, I would own this house.

If you hadn't taken that job,

we would be travelling together.

If they had paid more attention,

they wouldn't be failing in class.

And don't forget that like all conditionals,

you can change the order of the 'if' clause

and the main clause.

This thing would happen if this thing had happened.

So you can swap the order of the clauses but all of the

information is still there.

I would own this house, if I had saved more money.

We still have a hypothetical past action in the 'if' clause

and the hypothetical present result in the main clause.

The other common mixed conditional sentence

is a present condition and a past result.

So this is an unreal present condition to imagine

what the result would have been in the past

but we'll never really know because this is

imaginary right?

So imagine if this thing happened

then this would have happened.

Now all right let's talk about this for a minute because

we're talking about a present condition right

but we're using the past simple tense in the 'if' clause

but that's not a real past right.

This is how we use the second conditional

to express a hypothetical present situation.

If I were more outgoing, I would have introduced myself.

If he wasn't injured, he would have played the game.

If I wasn't so busy, I would have offered to help.

Now you can also use this same general form to talk

about a future action and a hypothetical past result.

Now this is pretty advanced but you'll see how it can be

a useful way of expressing yourself.

Just imagine that tomorrow you had a really important

meeting at work. A meeting that you've planned

and you've organised and set it up for the future.

So you can't go out dancing tonight, obviously

because you want to be well rested and alert for this

meeting. Your boss is gonna be there.

But if I didn't have an important meeting tomorrow

I would have gone out dancing.

If she wasn't going on holiday next month,

she would have asked for a day off.

If you weren't going on a big hike tomorrow,

would you have come on a bike ride today?

So how are you feeling about mixed conditionals now?

I always think that it's easier if you focus less

on the complicated grammar tenses

and more on the relationships with time.

And the three most commonly used mixed conditional

sentences are simply

a past action with a present result,

a present condition with a past result,

and a future action and the past result.

So now that you know all of this, I think it's time that we

practise a little together.

So are you ready to put everything that we've just

been through into practice with a mini quiz?

Good, I knew that you were. Let's do it!

So I'm gonna start by giving you a few 'if' clauses

in the past and I want you to write your own

present results. So this is where you've got to

be creative, come up with your answers

and add them into the comments below.

So for example. If I had got on that plane...

This is obviously in the past right

so to make it a mixed conditional, we need to bring the

results into the present

in the main clause.

So all you have to do is imagine

what you would be doing now.

This is the imaginary present right.

If you have gotten on that plane...

you could say "I would be in Fiji right now" or

"I'd be sipping champagne and watching movies"

or "I'd be stuck on a fourteen hour long-haul flight"

Whatever - that's the fun of an imaginary situation.

So now it's your turn.

If I had won the lottery...

If she had picked up the phone...

If he hadn't quit his job...

So right now I want you to pause the video

and finish these sentences.

Now I'm gonna prompt you with a present 'if' clause

so that means that your main clause

needs to be something different in the past.

Now just be careful that you make sure your

main clause is in the past so you could correctly write

a different time

but then it wouldn't be a mixed conditional, right?

If I were more athletic...

If she wasn't so tired...

If I was fluent in English...

So again pause the video and finish these sentences.

Awesome work!

Now the last category and you can probably guess

where I'm gonna go with this.

I'm gonna prompt you with a future 'if' clause

and you can finish the sentence with a past result

in the main clause.

If tomorrow wasn't Monday...

If she didn't have an important exam next week...

If I wasn't moving next month...

Again, pause,

take your time, to write your sentences out,

add them into the comments

below so I can check them.

Grammar lessons like this one can sometimes

leave you feeling like your brain has turned to mush.

But don't let these types of sentences scare you,

just accept that this is gonna take some time

to really understand these sentences how to use them.

Play around with them a little, keep the time

and the tenses in mind.

Just keep coming back to this lesson

and all the conditional videos that I've made for you

just to review and remind yourself about the difference

in how to use them.

And look for these structures. If you're reading a book,

highlight the conditional sentences

that you come across and just

pause, think about them for a moment,

try to understand

how the two clauses relate to each other.

If you've got any questions at all,

then make sure you ask me down in the comments.

Share your sentences down there. I always try to give

as much feedback as I can

and I really hope that this lesson was helpful for you.

In fact, if you've got a friend or you know someone

who would also benefit from watching it,

then make sure you share it with them, be a good friend.

Subscribe to mmmEnglish if you haven't already

and I will see you in the next lesson

ready and waiting for you right now.

Let's do it!