Part 5: The second conditional - Grammar: Conditionals with Georgie

Let's get into it!

I asked my BBC Learning English colleagues, what would you do if you won a million pounds?

If I won a million pounds, I'd probably buy a nice little house in the countryside.

If I won a million pounds, I'd probably go travelling all around the world.

So, we have an unlikely situation, winning a million pounds.

Sadly, that doesn't happen often,

so the second conditional is used to imagine an unlikely situation and think about the outcomes of that.

If George won a million pounds, he'd buy a house in the countryside.

Pippa would go travelling around the world.

Let's hear about another hypothetical scenario.

What would you do if you were alone on a desert island?

What would I do if I was alone on a desert island?

If I was alone on a desert island, I think I'd try to find a way to get off the desert island.

If I was alone on a desert island, I think I would be very bad at surviving.

If I were alone on a desert island, I would panic because I wouldn't know how to survive.

I would feel so lonely.

I would try to find any possible tools.

Again, an unlikely situation of being alone on a desert island,

and we're kind of dreaming and imagining what would I do if I were in that situation.

Next, we can use the second conditional to give advice, starting with if I were you,

meaning if I were in your position faced with the same decision or dilemma.

Listen to my colleague give me some advice about a problem.

I've run out of money this month.

If I were you, I'd ask your parents to give you a small loan

so you can survive until the end of the month.

Again, this is a hypothetical situation.

"If I were you" is actually impossible.

You can't become someone else,

but you're giving advice by saying this is what I would do if I were in your position.

Now, pause the video and think about which structures are used to make a second conditional.

The structure is the past simple in the if clause and would plus a base verb in the main or result clause.

To recap, the second conditional is used to imagine an unlikely situation.

If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house in the countryside.

To give advice: It's raining outside, so if I were you, I'd take an umbrella.

Don't forget to check out our website and download the free worksheet to help you practice.

See you next time.