En la unidad 9 aprendió el primer condicional: «if it rains, we will stay at home». Eso es real y posible. El segundo condicional es la otra cara: la situación NO es real hoy, aunque se pueda imaginar. Se construye con pasado simple detrás de «if» y con «would» más infinitivo en la otra mitad. El pasado no marca tiempo aquí: marca distancia con la realidad.
| Mitad con «if» | Mitad con «would» | Qué dice de la realidad |
|---|---|---|
| If I had more money, | I would buy an electric car. | hoy no tengo ese dinero |
| If the buses were free, | more people would use them. | hoy no son gratis |
| If we didn't waste water, | the river wouldn't be so low. | hoy sí lo desperdiciamos |
| If nobody recycled, | what would happen to the city? | hoy sí se recicla, aunque poco |
El orden de las dos mitades es libre y no cambia el significado: «If I had more time, I would help» y «I would help if I had more time» dicen exactamente lo mismo. Solo cambia la coma: se escribe cuando la mitad de «if» va primero, y se omite cuando va segunda.
Escuche
Listen to both halves and then the same sentence in the other order. If I had more money, I would buy an electric car. I would buy an electric car if I had more money. If the buses were free, more people would use them. More people would use the buses if they were free.
| Forma | Ejemplo | Nota |
|---|---|---|
| afirmativa | If she lived here, she would walk to work. | «would» no cambia con la persona, nunca lleva «-s» |
| negativa en la mitad de «would» | I wouldn't drive if the train were faster. | «wouldn't» se dice /ˈwʊdnt/, sin la ele |
| negativa en la mitad de «if» | If we didn't waste food, we would save money. | aquí la negación es «didn't» más infinitivo |
| pregunta | What would you do if you lost your job? | solo se invierte «would», nunca la mitad de «if» |
| consejo con «I» | If I were you, I would talk to the council. | fórmula fija: «were», no «was» |
«If I were» es la última huella viva del subjuntivo inglés. En la lengua cuidada se dice «if I were», «if he were», «if she were» con TODAS las personas, y en la conversación informal se oye también «if I was». Para dar un consejo, «If I were you…» es una fórmula fija y ahí «was» suena mal: apréndala entera y no la desmonte.
Escuche
Listen to the fixed formula and the questions. If I were you, I would talk to the council first. If I were the mayor, I would start with the buses. What would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? Where would you live if you could choose any city? How would you feel if nobody listened to you?
La prohibición absoluta: «would» NUNCA entra en la mitad de «if». Se dice «if I had time», jamás «if I would have time». Es exactamente la misma regla que en español, donde tampoco se dice «si tendría tiempo», y sin embargo es el error escrito más frecuente en los exámenes de B1. También suele haber «might» o «could» en lugar de «would»: «if I had time, I might come», que suena menos seguro.
Ponga los dos verbos en la forma correcta del segundo condicional.
- If I (have) ___ more time, I (join) ___ the group.
- If the city (plant) ___ more trees, the streets (be) ___ cooler.
- She (not drive) ___ to work if the train (be) ___ faster.
- What (you do) ___ if you (win) ___ a lot of money?
- If we (not waste) ___ so much food, we (save) ___ money.
- If I (be) ___ you, I (write) ___ to the council today.
- Nobody (complain) ___ if the buses (run) ___ on time.
- If the shops (stop) ___ using plastic, we (produce) ___ less waste.
Ver soluciones
- had / would join
- planted / would be
- wouldn't drive / were
- would you do / won
- didn't waste / would save
- were / would write
- would complain / ran
- stopped / would produce
Decida si cada frase es primer condicional (real y posible) o segundo (imaginado).
- If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the market. (first · second)
- If I lived in Oslo, I would cycle every day. (first · second)
- If you take that job, you will earn more money. (first · second)
- If the sea rose two metres, this street would disappear. (first · second)
- If I were the mayor, I would close this road to cars. (first · second)
- If you finish early, we will go to the meeting together. (first · second)
Ver soluciones
- first
- second
- first
- second
- second
- first
