Letture - Grammatica - Trascrizione
Hello everybody! Welcome to the EnglishBlog. In this podcast, you’ll be learning some interesting survival English on how to discuss hypothetical situations.
Before starting, let me first explain that the lesson is divided into two parts:
PART ONE: you’ll be learning how to use conditional sentences.
PART TWO: you’ll be listening to two friends imagining the future and discussing the past.
So let’s start!
Woman: Do you know how to hypothesise in English? There are 3 main kinds of conditional sentences. Each kind contains a different pair of tenses. With each type certain variations are possible, but we will be looking at the basic forms. Let’s find out some more:
Woman: The “1st conditional” is used to imply a present or future situation is possible or probable. The verb in the if-clause is the present simple and the verb in the main clause is the future simple. Listen to these examples:
Man: If it is sunny at the weekend, I will go to the beach.
Woman: You can also say the sentence the other way round.
Man: I will go to the beach if it is sunny at the weekend.
Woman: The “2nd conditional” is used for present or future imaginary situations, and indicate unreality or improbability. The verb in the if-clause is the past simple and the verb in the main clause is in the conditional tense, i.e. would + verb. For example:
Man: If I won the lottery, I would buy a yacht.
Woman: If I had the money, I would buy a new car.
Woman: Again, you can say the sentence the other way round. Listen to another example:
Woman: I would be on time for work if I lived near my office.
Man: I would travel the world if I won the lottery.
Woman: The “3rd conditional” is used to imagine the past being different. The verb in the if-clause is the past perfect (had + past participle) and the verb in the main clause is the perfect conditional, i.e. would + have + past participle. For example:
Man: If I had known you were ill, I would have visited you in hospital.
Woman: If they had seen the iceberg, the Titanic wouldn’t have sunk.
Woman: Again, you can say the sentence the other way round. Listen to another example:
Woman: I wouldn’t have crashed into the tree if I had seen the other car.
Man: I would have passed the exam if I had studied more.
Woman: Bill Clinton once said, “You are old, when you have more memories than dreams.”
Now listen out for the conditional sentences in the dialogue: pay attention to how they are used.
Woman: What are you doing at the weekend?
Man: It depends. If it rains, I will go to the cinema. If it is sunny I’ll play tennis.
Woman: Do you play the lottery?
Man: Oh yes, every Saturday.
Woman: What would you do if you won the lottery?
Man: If I won the lottery I would quit my job.
Woman: Really? Aren’t you happy?
Man: Happy, yes, but if I won the lottery I would want to travel and do different projects.
Woman: But, a lot of people win the lottery and carry on working.
Man: Well, I guess I should have thought about my career more when I was younger.
Woman: What would you like to have done?
Man: Well, if I had studied archaeology, I would have had a more interesting life, that’s what I really wanted to do.
Woman: So why don’t you study now and change jobs, if that’s what you want to do?
Man: If only life were so simple.
Woman: Yeah I know. Shall we try our luck at bingo tonight?
Man: Why not!?
Woman: If you wish you can hear this lesson again. In the meantime we hope we have helped you to be more confident with your English. Watch out for the next topic. Thank you for using the EnglishBlog.
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