would
and could
to express a desired outcome for the future. There is a famous song that says, “If I were a rich man, I would…” These lyrics will allow you to easily remember the formula to express yourself in the second conditional. Now, if I were you, I would watch this video and do the quiz.
182 COMMENTS
1st comment. yay
And thank you so much for the leson mr. Benjamin
Very useful lesson, if i had two millions i’d give you one. Thank Benjamin.
good lesson Thank you
Good nice work
in fact use it with amagin and dream
I got 7 correct out of 10 but I am not fully command on such model verb how to use.
Thanks teacher Benjamin, so useful lesson.
Thank you very much!
If I were a millionaire, I would travel all around the world. I could also start a new life. And I should do it properly in a new country, too. As the teacher said, it´d be a dream coming true.
10 out of 10 :)
Thanks Benjamin for this lesson….was great :)
Thanks Benjamin, Your lesson Cleared my concept.
thank-i got 9 from 10
good lesson and nice jacket ;)
Thanks a lot
AMAZING VIDEO THANK YOU SO MUCH.TOUGH WE HAVE THE SAME FLAG COLOR
What an impeccable lesson!. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Benjamin
Thanks Mr. Ben!!!
That jacket matches very well with a Harley or a Triumph. Do you like motorbikes??
Very good, Benjamin! If I were a rich man, I would pay US$ 1000 for each one of your English video lessons. Thanks a lot. Bye!
10 out of10. Where is the dibby dibby dum?
10 of 10!
Thanks . I really got new information
Thank you, Ben.
That structure of the sentences with modals verbs is quite hard to learn, But you made it easier.Thank you Benjamin ..
good lesson. Thanks
Thank you,Benjamin! I got 8/10
If I were rich in Ukraine I would not go to America.
10/10 = 100%
I got 100 as well
You’re the freakin best with Adam. No doubt
Hello from China~ Thanks for your lesson. Keep working for you and me
Nice lesson, Benjamin. However, the quiz needs amending.
Please note that question 7 and 8 are NOT examples of the 2nd conditional; they are mixed conditional sentences (3rd + 2nd). As for question 9, both “was” and “were” are correct in current English. However, in testing situations and in formal writing I always recommend that you choose “were” in case the test key is imperfect.
I don’t understand why you use WERE with I which I think prefer is WAS. Thanks!
I got 3/10 i am so sad?
so do I
The reason for using were instead of was (after I in this case) or the grammar or the grammar name of or grammar expression for it is called SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.
There is possibility to use was instead of were and it is and was using in some cases, but it is essentially grammatically incorrect or has essentially different meaning.
There is quite nice article about it here:
http://www.grammar.cl/english/if-i-were-you.htm
This is exactly what I was wrong and I needed additional info.
I answered WAS to bellow question:
9. Cindy could come out and play with you if she _____ a good girl.
Which is wrong. Correct is WERE, because WHERE is used for all persons.
From site you have provided it is also very interesting exception. See bellow two examples:
“If I WERE sick, I wouldn’t be here.”
This is 2nd conditional: I + WERE. Because this is hypothetical, it isn’t true right now. I am not sick right now.
But bellow is very interesting:
“If I WAS sick, she would give me medicine that tasted terrible.”
In this case “I + WAS” is not hypothetical and so it is not 2nd conditional. “If I was sick” it means “Whenever I was sick …” This is true, not hypothetical, and it just look like story telling.
The reason for using were instead of was (after I in this case) or the grammar or the grammar name of or grammar expression for it is called SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.
There is possibility to use was instead of were and it is and was using in some cases, but it is essentially grammatically incorrect or has essentially different meaning.
If I were a native spiker I wouldn’t learn this lesson.
Many native speakers should also learn little bit of grammar. Sometimes I wonder why some strange form was used, but it well may be to the wrong grammar, because of modern day to day speech.
Thunks
hello there,
I’ve got 10 out of 10.
Hello! for the question 10, “couldn’t” could be a good response?
I think, it’s just as..?! :/
Thanks..
Somebody can explain to me ‘How to use EVER’. I’m quite confused with this word.
“When ever I would like to drink a beer, my wife prevents me to.”
The as:
“Every time I would like …”
Thanks Benjamin for this lesson. 10/10!!
You’re doing well as always :) I got 100 points because of your presentation if you were a cold-blooded person I
Wouldn’t get enjoy while watching this video :D
A little bit hard for using in conversation.
I’d say so – slightly difficult for using in conversation (for my level).
Thank you Benjamin. Your lesson was good.
Great! 100 points
i could not find the first leasens of learning english i want to start from begening can you help me
I got 9/10. :)) One mistake when i mix up “was and were”.
Thank you for a good lession.
Take care everyone.
ı got it that we use ‘were’ when we use ‘I’ in ıf clause sentences. But in quiz ‘were’ using with ‘she’ . is that true? is that possible? or may ı use ‘was’then say ‘she’ ?
Well, If I had passed my driving exam I WOULDN´T HAVE…” I was thinking a bus trip and to leave her alone at home. Ha!
thank you.
from Mongolia
Thank you for this lesson Benjamin. Conditional is one of the most forgettable topics, at least for me.
You look great with that jacket …I want one too!
Thank you Benjamin. you courage me to learn English.
thank you , i got 9 out of 10
Good work.Thanks.
Great teaching! Thanks a lot Mr. Benjamin.
And this exam, I totally got 9 out of 10.
If I were a millionaire, I wouldn’t be renting an apartment in Toronto. Instead I’d buy a house near Saint Clair West or Sandbanks.
If I were a millionaire, I would hire a nanny to look after my active and cute toddler.
And my last sentence, if I were a millionaire I could donate some money to all the great teachers at Engvid. Thanks Benjamin for the lesson and music.
I think the quiz have diferents condicional forms
Great teaching site and dainik bhashkar news paper
Thanks teacher and rider Benjamin, for this reviewing lesson!
If I weren’t satisfied, I wouldn’t congratulate you so much :)
Take care on the road.
Thank you.
why we have to use ” she were ” instead of ” she was “? Hoping Mr. Benjamin would reply this comment. Thank you :)
If she studied she would be a good student. — it is a standard form of the 2nd Conditional.
If she were to study she would be a good student. — if you use «were to do smth», you want to emphatize that this situation is highly unlikely to happen.
Thank you
thanks a million! I have a question, which one of these sentences is grammatically correct?
-I am looking forward to see you.
-I am looking forward to seeing you.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Parya. The second one is correct. Best wishes
After word “to” should always come “infinitive” so “see” in you sample.
But this is some kind phrase, so correct is:
-I am looking forward to seeing you.
I would also like to have an explanation why is this exception, if someone knows.
Great lesson , thank you for teaching us .
I got 9 correct answers yay
yaay…same here 9/10
great
Moderator note: Please don’t just leave one-word comments! Take an opportunity to practice your English. Here’s a cat gif.
Hello!
Very thanks for the amazing video, I’m learning more from engvid every single day.
Taking this opportunity, is it possible to make questions using this structure? I mean, for example…
“If you were invisible, would you sneak into ladies room?”
Something like that…
Thank you again and please,fell free to correct my text.
I got 8 /10
Well done mate. That lesson was ace. Thx.
I could swear I saw the 3rd conditional in the quiz. Didn’t I?
I’ve just got 8/10.Hic.I will try again.
Thank you!
thats pretty decent score for a beginner
I got 10/10 , thank you for the lesson ^^
10/10. if I were a teacher I would have scored more than 10 lol
thanks so much!
i finally had ten out of ten. Everytime is more and more difficult to learn english because in my case I don´t know anyone to speak English :(
Thanks so much!!
Thanks for the very clear explanation.
Hey Benjamin!
Nice lesson, thank you. Where did you buy your leather jacket? That’s exactly the model I am looking for. If you would be so nice to give me the name of the brand, I could buy the same as you, and I would be so happy!
Is it a Schott? Thank you for your answer.
Thank you so much for your lesson.
Thanks dear Bejamin for the nice lesson. Even though It’s first times to learn with you but i enjoy this vdo!!!
she were?
Mr.Benjamin I’d like to ask you to make a video about the word “Hence” because there’s a lot of sentences about this word that I don’t understand like “hence the dream” or “hence the bravery” or hence the importance” so would you please do this for me ???
we learned ”I was” before, but why ”were”? to be polite? I couldn’t get the point in this incident.
hi teacher i have a question i hope u help me
about question 9 why the answer is she were
i choose was and i got 90%
and thanks
Benjamin, Do a lesson in a native way of speaking.(ignoring consonant sounds and etc.) I’ve been listening to all of you for a long time, although I do not usually log in, You people have never done even a single lesson speaking as fast as native speakers usually do. For the convenience of listeners, you may make them understand what you said before.
Benjamin Please, Do At least one lesson, I have commented the same on Adam’s Channel(an American Teacher on engvid)
I’ll be indebted to you if you do this for me.
8 out of 10.. not bad. Thanks Benjamin..
it was a informative lesson. Thanks Benjamin :)
thank you so much
Hi Benjamin!
Thanks for the class…
Benjamin, please, can you give me an explanation about this answer:
Cindy could come out and play with you if she ________ a good girl.
will be
is
were
was
It is not supposed to be was?
Thanks again.
Hugs…
you are a very good teacher.
Hi Benjamin. I have a question :) Why is in question 9 “…she were..”? It should be ” she was”. should it?
Thanks and congratulations for yours videos ;)
I got 8 out of 10.
I dont understand this one.
Cindy could come out and play with you if she ________ a good girl.
will be
is
were
was
I choice that if she was a good girl…
but correct answer is that if she were a good girl.
Why?
Thanks in advance….
We love ENGVID.
The question number 7 uses “conditional tense + verb in present perfect” instead of “conditional tense + verb in inf.”? is it still second conditional?
Thanks a lot!
Wow, thank you, Benjamin!!I like your lessons! :)
Hello! Thank you for the video!
I have a question about the quiz. 8th question – is it a 3rd conditional?
If I HAD passED my driving exam, I WOULD HAVE GONE on the road trip with you.
And 7th question:
If I HAD studiED earlier, I ___________ have to stress out the night before my big test.
It’s not a Past Simple.
Just to understand:) Thank you!
Hello Sir,
I would like to thank you for your great assistance. And if it wasn’t for you we would not have known all these grammar lessons.
love this lessson
Thanks lot.
Great lesson:)
Thank you sir
I could take 100 marks if I had watched your videos carefully.
Good lesson. Thanks!
thanks a lot!
Thank you Benjamin
thank you
i am really confused , when i read novel i discover the writer use could and would in futre tense and here a lesson that prove that:
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/message_board/archive/articles/00096.htm
would you like to clarify this matter please ?
Nice…very clear. Thanks!!!!!
i think this lesson is not finish yet , in fact we can use could in future even without if :
-the growing threat of cliamte change could define the contours of this century more dramatically –
barack obama paris nov,30,2015
thank you benjamin
Thank you very much to help me unsdertand the conditionals!!
People I am really sorry for my Picture, I tried to change but I could not ;o(
Haha! You should be able to upload your own picture here.
thanks Benjamin
If i were your student,i would laugh all long. Thank you,teacher!
I think, I have got it. Thanks Benjamin
Thank you! It’s very interesting. I’d like you to give the lesson about the third conditional.
Sorry, but i answered 9 from ten questionscorrectly
I love your accent
Nice jacket
Thanks Benjamin, my score: 10/10 :D
If I had only listened to my parents to study hard when I was a student, I would not experience this difficulty in studying English.
When u talk in third person, can u put “were”? I don’t understand because in the test came out: “Cindy could come out and play with you if she WERE a good girl”.
Got 10 out of 10 but leave the jacket at home!!!
Thank you, Benjamin!!! If I were rich, I would pay you the million pounds you deserve!!!
Thank you Benjamin
Thanks ,Mr Benjamin , thats helpfull
thank you for the lesson Mr benjamin i would you to review if i had had more money i would have traveled more than i do now ,
what kind of conditional is that ?
thanks!!
why we use were with i ,he and she
thanks ? <3
Thank you very much. It has been a good lesson .
the point number eight is 3rd conditional, isn´t it?
Hi,
In 7 and 8, present perfect were used in if clauses.
Due to we are speaking strictly about second and not mixed conditionals, we should only use simple past, shouldn’t we?
Hey Benjamin,
Thank you for the great lessons.
Just a comment! The 8th question in the test is actually the 3rd conditional, not the 2nd one. (If I had passed my driving…)
Great lesson.
Now the exercise time
If + past simple + would/should/could + infinitive without TO
1. If I were an American girl, I wouldn’t have to prepare for the IELTS test.
2. If I were you, I would do anything to make it come true.
3. If I had the money you require, I should have given those to you for your medical treatment.
4. If I were a coco bird, I would fly all the skies and see the world right from above.
5. If only you were a great man, I would marry you and start a new.
6. I could buy a big home if I had not lend her my money.
7. If only there were some peanuts in the caddy, I could make an ice-cream shake and have fun.
8. I could go outside and enjoy rain if there were some park in the society.
9. If only I knew how to drive, I could visit my parents during such wonderful weather these days.
10. If only I had studied A levels, I wouldn’t have to study harder to improve my English language skills.
11. I could call my family to the big party at my home if I hadn’t ignored them a the time of my marriage.
Good Phrases, those are came to add up.
Thanks Ashifa!
9/10!! Thank you so much.
10/10! Thank you.
If I wouldn’t learn English I couldn’t pass this test. I ‘ve done it. 100%.
Tx for this video it is helpful, but I have a question 1.I______ a car.we_____ drive up to the mountains.( rent,can )
Answer : I rented a car.we could drive up to the mauntains. I mean my answer is correct or incorrect
If I were celebrity I would meet my favourite star.
Why in the test “she was” is nor correctly? Why do it need “she were”?
cuz it’s rule of conditional sentences type 2
10 out of 10. Thank you!
9 of 10. Thanks
Thanks much for this video !
If I were a millionaire, I would pay you a hundred dollars for every videos you make.
hi cant we use i shuldnt
In the test, isn’t the seventh question about the third conditional ?
Benjamin, Thank a lot! <3
thank you
Hi Benjamin! Your lessons are always interesting. But sometimes I make mistakes: when I have to use the verbs “could” and “would” correctly.
Finally I understand conditionals thank you so much
Thank you Mr. Benjamin.
Thanks a lot, 100
Thank you!
“And if you saw my love, you’d love her, too” :)
thanks for the lesson
Thanks.
Thank you,Benjamin! I got 9/10
Thanks Benjamin, I got 10/10.
This kind of class and subject is very useful for Our English development.
Have a nice Sunday!
I loved this teacher.
Thank you so much for your help.
If I were teacher, I would teach like him :)
Muchas gracias Benjamin!
thank you Ben, nice jacket
Great!
8/10. Good lesson
I got 10/10
Thanks
9 Cindy could come out and play with you if she ________ a good girl
thanks, i had a doubt number 9 if third personal you must use was, why the answer it was “were”
I love the minute 2.30 when you explain Would/could/should/ now I got them all. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your helps.
Thank you for you help !!!!!
This was so helpful, My gratitude Benjamin.
If I were wealthy I would flee abroad
Got all, thanks for the lesson.
Thank you for that lesson!
9. Cindy could come out and play with you if she ________ a good girl.
will be
is
were ???????????
was
Why not WAS?????