Mixed Conditionals
Mixed Conditionals, which are mixed
conditional sentences — that is, they combine different verb tenses to express hypothetical situations connecting past, present and future.
They are used when the condition is in one time (usually the past), but the result is in another (present or future). Here are the two most common types:
Past - Present
We use it when something that didn't happen in the past has an effect on the present.
If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.
(If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.)
Present - Past
We use it when a condition that is still true today would have changed the past.
If I were taller, I would have played basketball professionally.
(If I were taller, I would have played basketball professionally.)
Combined structure:
If + past perfect, would + base verb (present)
If + simple past, would have + past participle
These structures show how past actions influence the present or how current realities would have changed the past.
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