His Do Over
Past Conditional (Lesson Plan)
ESL students can hear real people speaking natural English using the past conditional. Recommended study plan:
- Watch the video
- Take the quiz
- Listen again and read the script
- Learn the grammar with the notes
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Sarah |
Adam |
Sarah: So Adam, today we’re talking about do-overs. So what is something that you wish you would have done over? For example, maybe something in your university life?
Adam: Yeah. There are a few things. I might change my major. I studied education, and while I enjoy what I’m doing right now, my free time I really like watching movies about science and astronomy. And if I would go back to school and start my studies over, I’d probably study something along those lines, astronomy and metaphysics or something.
I think that those topics are really interesting and on the cutting edge of science and just fascinating to explore.
Sarah: Interesting. Anything else you wish you would have done?
Adam: I might have been more involved in the sports clubs at my school. For example, the American football team. I played in high school but in college, I wanted to play but I didn’t have the motivation to push me over the edge to actually go out and really put my heart into it.
I went to one training day and kind of tried out, but I didn’t really pursue it as much as I would have liked. I think it would have been fun to be a part of that culture and that environment.
Sarah: How about something that you did do that maybe now you wish you hadn’t?
Adam: I pierced my ears in high school because that was the cool thing to do. But now I don’t wear earrings. And yeah, looking back on it, kind of just a silly thing to do that I’m trying to follow the trends, that, you know, trends usually pass.
So yeah, that would be something that I wouldn’t do again.
Sarah: Nice. Anything else you would have changed?
Adam: I might have made different decisions about my girlfriends at the time. I had a really good girlfriend in the beginning of college, and things didn’t work out because of a variety of reasons. But I think if we would have worked on it, we could have. We could have made it, made it happen. So yeah, that’s something I think about sometimes about life in college.
It’s always, you know, college love is kind of a crazy thing. So yeah, we’re too much like kids, I guess, I think at that age.
Sarah: Okay. Thanks, Adam.
Past Conditional
- I should have studied more in school.
- We should have saved some money.
- I would have been upset.
- I could have been a contender.
- If I were you, I would have said something.
- If I could do it over, I would have changed jobs.
- If we had won, I wold have been happy.
- If the weather had been nicer, we would have stayed longer.
- I wish I had tried harder in school.
- I wish I would have tried harder in school.
- She wishes she had applied for the job.
- She wishes she would have appled for the job.
- I would have said something. (I did not have the chance)
- I could have said something. (I had a chance, but did not)
- I should have said something. (I regret not saying something)
- I must have said something. (I speculate I said something)
- I might have said something. (The outcome might differ)
- I may have said something.
