Lesson 8.4 · Conditionals
How we could have done better: ‘If we had…, we would have…’
To talk about things we should have done better in the past, we use if + had done and would have done. (These imaginary situations in the past are known as the third conditional.)
From How to Use English Verb Tenses in Business by David Cox · 200+ diagrams for professional English
The forms: ‘had’ and ‘would have’
These forms are quite long, so they can be difficult to remember. It helps to remember that had and would have appear in every sentence:
| If we | had | tested the system properly, we | would have | avoided the crash. |
| If the client | had | seen the prototype earlier, they | would have | asked for fewer changes. |
| If our team | had | worked more closely with sales, we | would have | hit the target. |
| If I | had | been better prepared, I | would have | answered the board’s questions. |
| If we | had | had a bigger budget, we | would have | had more time for testing. |
In the last example, had had is completely normal: the first ‘had’ is part of the form, and the second is the verb ‘have’ (we had a budget). In the same way, would have had is also completely normal.
Short forms: ’d
We can shorten both ‘had’ and ‘would’ to ’d. We only really do this after pronouns: I, you, he, she, we, they. It is best to avoid these short forms in formal written English, but in normal written English – and especially in spoken English – they are used all the time:
| ’d = had↓ | ’d = would↓ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| If we | ’d | tested the system properly, we | ’d have | avoided the crash. |
| If she | ’d | seen the figures earlier, she | ’d have | changed the forecast. |
| If they | ’d | worked more closely with us, they | ’d have | hit the deadline. |
| If I | ’d | had more time, I | ’d have | checked the contract. |
Reviewing what we could have done better
This is used mainly for looking back at previous projects and reviewing what you could have done better:
If we had tested the system properly,
If + past perfect to talk about an imaginary situation in the past
we wouldn’t have lost so many orders on launch day.
Would have + past participle to talk about what would have happened
Other examples: If we had involved the sales team earlier, the launch campaign would have been much more effective. If we had had a bigger budget, we would have hired an external testing company.
Mixing tenses: doing better on the next project
We then use this to talk about how we will do things better on the next project:
If we had tested the system properly, we wouldn’t have lost so many orders,
If + past perfect, would have – what we could have done better
so I’ve spoken to John,
Present perfect – something we have done, and haven’t moved on from
and we’re going to bring in an external testing team for the next launch.
Going to – our plan for the next project (Lesson 2.2)
Another example: If we had agreed the budget earlier, we would have started on time, so I’ve asked finance to approve next year’s budget by December.
How the past affects us now
Sometimes we talk about how something we should have done in the past affects us now. The first part of the sentence looks back at the past (if + had done), and the second part is about now (would + verb). This is known as a mixed conditional:
If we had hired more developers last year,
If + past perfect to talk about an imaginary situation in the past
we wouldn’t be so far behind now.
Would + infinitive to talk about how things would be different now
Other examples: If we had signed the contract in January, we would be in a much stronger position now. If I had learned Spanish when I was working in Madrid, I would be able to negotiate with our Latin American clients.
Mixing tenses: fixing it now
And then we say what we are doing about it – now, and next:
If we had invested in automation two years ago,
If + past perfect to talk about an imaginary situation in the past
we would be much more competitive now,
Would + infinitive to talk about how things would be different now
so we’re working on a new automation plan,
Present continuous – what we are doing about it now
and we will present it to the board in March.
Will – what will happen next
Another example: If we had kept in touch with our old clients, we wouldn’t need to spend so much on marketing now, so we’re setting up a client newsletter, and we’ll send the first one next month.
Practise this lesson
What could we have done better – and how does it affect us now?
Teachers: use these diagrams
You are welcome to use these diagrams in your lessons and materials. Please credit Fluency Space with a link to this page.
Diagram: Fluency Space – fluencyspace.com/grammar/verb-tenses/third-conditional-project-reviews/Correct on paper is not the same as natural in the boardroom
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