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Lesson 43
Unit 9 · The Missing Grammar
B1

If IWon the Lottery…

Second Conditional — imaginary situations

60 min Second Conditional: hypotheses, dreams and advice

CEFR Pathway · You are here

  1. A0/A1Beginner
  2. A1/A2Elementary
  3. A2/B1Pre-Intermediate
  4. B1/B1+Intermediate
  5. B2Upper-Intermediate
  6. C1Advanced
  7. C2Proficiency
Need more practice? Extra Practice →

Get talking · Section 1

5 min

Warm up

discussion
Instant dream

You suddenly have one free year and enough money. What do you do?

reflection
Swap lives

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be — and why?

activity
Quick advice

Your partner can't sleep before exams. Give them three pieces of advice starting 'If I were you…'.

Grammar focus · Section 2

8–10 min

Second Conditional — unreal, imaginary, unlikely

Open in Reference
Quick rule

The First Conditional talks about REAL future possibilities.

  • → If I won the lottery, I'd buy a small house by the sea.

  • → I'd tell her the truth if I were you.

  • → If we lived closer, we would see each other every week.

  • → She wouldn't take the job if the pay were that low.

  • → What would you do if you lost your passport abroad?

More detail

The Second Conditional talks about situations that are IMAGINARY or very unlikely right now. FORM: If + Past Simple , would + infinitive 'If I had more time, I would learn the guitar.' The Past Simple here is NOT past time — it signals 'this isn't real'. Both halves can swap: 'I would learn the guitar if I had more time.' (no comma when 'if' is second). With the verb 'be', formal English uses WERE for every person: 'If I were rich…', 'If he were here…'. In speech 'was' is common, but 'If I were you' is fixed — never say 'if I was you' in an exam. Contract 'would' to 'd in speech: I'd, he'd, we'd. Use 'wouldn't' for the negative.

If + past simple , would + infinitive

If Ihadmore money,I'dtravel

e.g. If I had more money, I'd travel for a year.

When to use

  • Dreams and fantasies: 'If I won…'
  • Unlikely or impossible present situations: 'If I were taller…'
  • Polite, softened advice: 'If I were you, I'd…'
  • Hypothetical exam discussion: 'It would be better if…'
First ConditionalSecond Conditional
Meaningreal, possibleimaginary, unlikely
FormIf + Present Simple, will + inf.If + Past Simple, would + inf.
ExampleIf it rains, I'll take a taxi.If it rained every day, I'd move away.
FeelingI expect thisI'm just imagining

Never 'would' in the if-half

✗ 'If I would have time…' ✓ 'If I had time…'. 'would' only lives in the result half.

Real or unreal?

Ask yourself: is this likely today? Likely → First Conditional. Just imagining → Second Conditional.

'If I were you' = the advice formula

Softer and more natural than 'You should'. Follow it with 'I'd…': 'If I were you, I'd call them first.'

Question 1.If I ____ more time, I'd study Italian.

Question 2.If she were here, she ____ know what to do.

Question 3.Which is advice?

Question 4.Real possibility tonight: 'If it ____ , we'll stay in.'

Question 5.Which sentence is WRONG?

Answer all items, then check.
Conversation Builder
Say it naturally

Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.

1.Give advice.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

Quick check 1.If-half verb form?

Quick check 2.Result-half form?

Quick check 3.Advice formula?

Answer all items, then check.

Vocabulary · Section 3

5–7 min

Words & phrases to own

Open in Reference

Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.

1

imagine

form a picture in your mind

"Imagine you had a whole free year."

Finish: 'Imagine I…'

2

unlikely

probably not going to happen

"It's unlikely, but if it happened, I'd be ready."

Name one unlikely dream.

3

a fortune

a very large amount of money

"If I made a fortune, I'd give some away."

What would you do with a fortune?

4

give something up

stop doing something

"I'd give up my job if I could."

What would you give up?

5

afford

have enough money for something

"If I could afford it, I'd buy a flat."

Name something you can't afford yet.

6

regret

feel sorry about a choice

"I'd regret it if I said no."

Say one thing you'd regret.

Activate the language
Answer every question with a full second-conditional sentence.

Discuss with a partner

  • →If you could live in any country, where would you live and why?
  • →If you had to give up your phone or your car, which would you choose?

Finish the sentence about you

  • If I could…, I'd… …
  • I'd never… if… …
  • If I were you, I'd… …

Rank & justify

If you won a fortune, rank these from first to last.

  • Travel the world
  • Buy a house
  • Help your family
  • Start a business
  • Stop working

Pronunciation · Section 4

3–4 min

The contraction 'd and weak 'would'

  • • I'd go → /aɪd gəʊ/
  • • What would you do? → /wɒt wəd jə duː/
  • • If I were you, I'd wait → /ɪf aɪ wə juː aɪd weɪt/
  • • They'd never agree → /ðeɪd nevər əˈgriː/
How to say it

'would' almost disappears in fluent speech. After a pronoun it becomes 'd: I'd /aɪd/, he'd /hiːd/, we'd /wiːd/, they'd /ðeɪd/. In questions it weakens to /wəd/: 'What would you do?' → 'What'd ya do?'. Learners who say the full /wʊd/ every time sound slow and unnatural.

Reading · Section 5

8–10 min

The question everybody answers badly

'What would you do if you won a million?' It is the oldest small-talk question in the world, and researchers have collected thousands of answers. Most people say the same three things: quit their job, buy a house, travel. But when psychologists followed real lottery winners, the picture changed. Winners who left work immediately were less satisfied two years later than those who stayed part-time. The ones who reported the biggest jump in happiness were not the biggest winners — they were the people who gave a share of the money away or used it to remove one specific stress, such as a debt. So the interesting version of the question is smaller. Not 'what would you buy?' but 'what would you stop worrying about?'. If you knew the answer to that, you would probably know what to fix in your life right now — with or without the million.

Read carefully, then answer the detail questions. Underline the words in the text that gave you each answer.

Question 1.What do most people say they'd do?

Question 2.Who was happier two years later?

Question 3.What is the 'better' question?

Answer all items, then check.
True / False / Not Given
Decide if each statement is True or False

Q1.The biggest winners were the happiest.

Q2.Giving money away was linked to more happiness.

Q3.The article says the question is useless.

Answer all items, then check.

Listening · Section 6

8–10 min

Two friends and an impossible plan

Listening audio

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

Show transcript

Elena:Serious question. If you could leave tomorrow, where would you go?

Marco:Japan, easily. If I had three months, I'd walk from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Elena:Wouldn't that be exhausting?

Marco:Probably. But if I flew everywhere, I wouldn't see anything real.

Elena:Fair. I'd take my sister. She'd translate and I'd carry the bags.

Marco:If I were you, I'd start saving now. It's not actually impossible.

Elena:It is if my boss doesn't give me the time off.

Marco:Then ask. The worst thing that would happen is she says no.

Listen once for the whole picture, then again for the details before you answer.

Question 1.Where would Marco go?

Question 2.Why wouldn't he fly everywhere?

Question 3.What is Elena's obstacle?

Answer all items, then check.
Tick what you hear
Tick the second-conditional forms you hear.
Answer all items, then check.

Exam skills · Section 7

5 min

Cambridge PET Speaking Part 4 — hypothetical discussion

Open in Reference

Task

Discuss an imaginary situation for 90 seconds with a partner.

Strategy

PET Part 4 questions often invite hypothesis: 'Would you like to live in another country?' Weak candidates answer with the present tense only. Strong candidates switch into the Second Conditional to extend: state the hypothesis, add a reason, then add a consequence. Two or three accurate 'would' sentences lift your grammar range noticeably.

Example

'I think I'd enjoy it. If I lived in another country, I'd learn the language much faster than I do here. The difficult part would be my family — if they weren't nearby, I'd probably feel quite lonely at the beginning.'

Practice · Section 8

8–10 min

Fill in the blank

Question 1.If I ____ you, I'd take the job.

Question 2.She ____ move house if she found a better one.

Question 3.If we ____ a car, we could visit them more often.

Question 4.I wouldn't say anything if I ____ in your position.

Question 5.What ____ you do if the flight were cancelled?

Answer all items, then check.
Sentence transformation
Type a short answer (1–3 words)

Q1.Make it imaginary: 'I don't have time, so I don't cook.'

Q2.Give advice with 'If I were you' about a noisy neighbour:

Q3.Question form: ask what your partner would do with a free year.

Answer all items, then check.

Writing · Section 9

5 min

Put it in writing

Write your own version first, then open the model and compare — what would you change?

Your task

Write 80–100 words answering: 'If you could change one thing about your town, what would it be?' Use at least four second-conditional sentences and one 'If I were…' phrase.

Compare with the model

If I could change one thing about my town, I would rebuild the old station. If the station were open again, people wouldn't need to drive forty minutes to the city. Shops would reopen around it, and I think younger families would stay instead of moving away. If I were the mayor, I'd spend the whole budget on it. It would cost a fortune, of course — but if nobody started, nothing would ever change.

Speaking · Section 10

10–15 min

Make it a real conversation

Open in Reference

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? · Pairs. Take turns pulling a dilemma: you find a wallet with €500; your best friend copies your work; you're offered a job abroad tomorrow. Answer with at least three 'would' sentences each, then give your partner advice with 'If I were you…'.

Useful phrases

  • • If I were you, I'd…
  • • I'd probably…, but I wouldn't…
  • • It would depend on…
  • • Honestly, I'd never…
  • • What would you do if…?

Role-play & swap

Role-play the scenario once. Then swap roles and change two details so the second run is not a repeat.

Dialogue completion
Choose the grammatically correct and natural reply.
  • AI've been offered a job in Madrid.
  • B_______________
  • AWould you ever live on a boat?
  • B_______________
Answer all items, then check.

Optional · Teacher-led

Teacher Activities

Contrast is everything here. Keep First vs Second visible on the board all lesson. ~30 min total

Homework · Section 11

Take-home

Take it home

writing

Write eight 'If I…' sentences about your own life — four dreams, four pieces of advice.

speaking

Record 60 seconds answering: 'If you could meet anyone alive today, who would you meet?'

grammar

Rewrite five First Conditional sentences as Second Conditional and note how the meaning changes.

Recap · Section 12

2–3 min

What you've learned

  • Second Conditional = imaginary or unlikely: If + Past Simple, would + infinitive.
  • The past form does not mean past time — it means 'not real'.
  • Never put 'would' after 'if'.
  • 'If I were you, I'd…' is the natural way to give advice.
  • First = real and likely · Second = imagined.

Extra Practice

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