The Past Unreal Conditional expresses imaginary situations in the past, in other words, things we would have done if something different had happened or if certain circumstances had been different. It is made of two clauses: the “if” clause + the outcome clause. In the “if” clause, it uses the past perfect tense (that is, “Had” followed by a past participle verb), and in the outcome clause, it uses “would have” + the past participle of a verb. Here are five example sentences using the past unreal conditions:
1. If I hadn't moved to Europe, I would have enjoyed more time with my grandparents in my native country.
2. I wouldn't have failed the test if I had studied enough.
3. If I had had more experience, I wouldn't have made that many mistakes in my previous job.
4. I would have been there for my cousin if she hadn't been so rude to me over the years.
5. If I hadn't been so much in my head during the competition, I would have made it to “Top Five.”
