Mixed conditionals: where would you be now? Mixed conditional exercises: past to now, now to past

This B2 drill lesson gives mixed conditional exercises: an unreal past with a result now, an unreal present with a past result, and the time words that decide.

Grammar: If + had done, would + verb for past → now; if + past simple, would have done for now → past; both beside the second and third conditionals.
Topic: Switchback, an invented podcast about career changes: a lawyer turned chair maker, a dancer turned physical therapist, a coder turned nurse, listener comments and Saoirse's chat.
Activities: Sorting, choices, gap-fills, tables, matching, word order, drag-and-drop texts, find-the-mistake quizzes, rewrites, a memory game, a chat and a test.

What's inside

Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: mixed conditionalsGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the sentences: which kind of conditional?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right form: now or in the past?Choose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: the missing wordFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2What you did, where you are now
- Fill in the gaps with would + verb: the result nowFill in the gapsTry it
- Choose the right form: the if partChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: had + past participle and would + verbFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Linnea's post and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: past → nowUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: past → nowQuizUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endings: past → nowMatchUnlock
Chapter 3Who you are, what you did then
- Fill in the gaps with would have + past participle: the result in the pastFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right form: now → pastChoose the optionTry it
- Fill in the table: a state now, a result in the pastFill in the tableUnlock
- Match the facts and the sentencesMatchUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: now → pastUnjumbleUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: now → pastQuizUnlock
- Read Rafferty's message and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Chapter 4Second, third or mixed?
- Choose the right form: read the time wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with would + verb or would have + past participleFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right sentence for the situationQuizUnlock
- Fill in the table: a result now or a result in the past?Fill in the tableTry it
- Fill in the gaps with could or mightFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Read the advice column and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Second acts
- Read the podcast transcriptReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the transcript again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read the next part of the transcript and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the listener comments and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Beatrix's episode notes and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Saoirse texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right form: everyday lifeChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: the if partFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with would + verb or would have + past participle: family storiesFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: mixed conditionalsUnjumbleUnlock
- Sort the sentences: correct or wrong?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endings: work and studyMatchUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: the facts and the if sentencesMemory gameUnlock
- Fill in the table: write the mixed conditionalFill in the tableUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: everyday EnglishQuizUnlock
- Is it correct English? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Choose the right answer: mixed practiceQuizUnlock
- Write the sentences again with ifFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Freya's post and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Benedikt's review and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Read Juliet's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock

Grammar: mixed conditionals

The second conditional stays in the present and the third stays in the past; a mixed conditional crosses between them. The time words choose the form: now, today and these days call for would + verb, yesterday and last year for would have + past participle.

Mixed conditionals: where would you be now?

An unreal past with a result now, or an unreal present with a result in the past. The time words choose the form.

Past → now: had done, would do

An unreal past event with a result in the present: if + had + past participle, then would + verb. If I had studied medicine, I'd be a doctor now. The past can't change; the imagined result is in the present.

If + had + past participlewould / could / might + verbnow · today · still · these days

If I had studied medicine, I'd be a doctor now.

If Ana hadn't moved to Lisbon, she wouldn't speak Portuguese today.

If they had left at six, they would be at the beach now.

Now → past: did, would have done

Here the if part is a state that is still true, in the past simple, and the result lies in the past: would have + past participle. If I spoke French, I'd have understood the guide yesterday.

If + past simple (a state that is still true)would / could / might have + past participleyesterday · last year · then

If I spoke French, I'd have understood the guide yesterday.

Ben is very shy. If he weren't so shy, he would have asked her to dance at the party.

If we didn't have a dog, we would have gone to Spain last summer.

Second, third or mixed?

Second: now → now (If I had a car, I'd drive to work). Third: past → past. Each mixed kind swaps one half. A past event takes had + past participle, even in a mixed sentence: If I had gone to college in 2010…

Four kinds of if sentences

Kind	If part	Result	Example
second: now → now	if + past simple	would + verb	If I had a car, I'd drive to work.
third: past → past	if + had + past participle	would have + past participle	If I had left earlier, I'd have caught the bus.
mixed: past → now	if + had + past participle	would + verb	If I had taken that job, I'd live in Boston now.
mixed: now → past	if + past simple	would have + past participle	If I weren't afraid of flying, I'd have gone to Rome last year.

Which form? Look at the time words

Result now: would + verb

now · today · still · these days · at the moment
If I had learned to cook, I'd eat better these days.
If she hadn't quit, she would still work there today.

Result in the past: would have + past participle

yesterday · last week · then · at the party · in 2020
If I were taller, I'd have played basketball in high school.
If he didn't love her, he wouldn't have married her last year.

The if part

a past event → had + past participle: If I had gone to college in 2010…
a state that is still true → past simple: If I were braver… If I didn't live so far away…

Negatives, questions, could and might

Negatives use hadn't, didn't, weren't and wouldn't: If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have lent you my car. In questions, would comes before the subject: Would you live here now if you hadn't found this job? Could or might can replace would.

Negatives and questions

Kind	Negative	Question
past → now	If I hadn't met Ana, I wouldn't live in Chicago now.	Would you speak better English now if you had lived in London?
now → past	If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have lent you my car.	If you spoke Spanish, would you have taken the job in Madrid?

could, might · were or was · short forms

could / might can replace would: If I had kept practicing, I could play the piano now. were / was: If I were braver… (was is fine too in everyday English). Short forms: I'd = I would or I had: If I'd known (= had), I'd be (= would) there. I'd have = I would have. would be + -ing for an action now: I'd be working.

Mistakes in the scheme

Would have had a better job now pairs a past result with now; would understand the movie last night does the opposite. And would stays out of the if part: If I had married Tom, not If I would have married Tom.

If I had studied harder, I would have had a better job now.
If I had studied harder, I would have a better job now.
result now → would + verb
If I spoke Spanish, I would understand the movie last night.
If I spoke Spanish, I would have understood the movie last night.
result in the past → would have + past participle
If I would have married Tom, I'd live in Paris now.
If I had married Tom, I'd live in Paris now.
no would in the if part
If I took that job in 2019, I'd be a manager now.
If I had taken that job in 2019, I'd be a manager now.
a past event → had + past participle

Examples

If I hadn't learned to code, I wouldn't have this job today.past → now
If she were more organized, she wouldn't have missed the deadline last Friday.now → past
If we hadn't sold our old piano, the kids could practice at home now.could = would be able to
If my boss didn't like my work, she wouldn't have given me a raise in May.now → past
Would you live here now if you hadn't found this job?a question
If my parents hadn't moved to Texas, I might not speak English today.might = maybe would

More lessons on this grammar: Third and mixed conditionals lessons and exercises

Try the mixed conditional exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

41 auto-checked exercises
5 games
1 real-life document
1 grammar scheme
1 picture

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

join an unreal past to a result now: If I hadn't moved to Mexico City in 2018, I wouldn't speak Spanish now.
link a present state to a past result: I don't speak Portuguese. If I spoke it, I would have understood the taxi driver in Rio yesterday.
let the time word choose: now or today → would + verb, yesterday or last year → would have + past participle
ask about another life: What would you be doing now if you hadn't become a chef?
use could or might in the result: If we hadn't missed the last bus, we might be home by now.

Grammar:: mixed conditionals · if + past perfect, would + verb · if + past simple, would have + past participle · second and third conditionals · could / might
Topic:: grammar practice · careers · career change · podcasts · life choices

Teaching tips

Map a life on the board: draw a timeline with three real choices a volunteer made (a city, a job, a hobby), and the class says what would be different now: If you hadn't moved here, you wouldn't know us.
Circle the time word first: before every gap, students find now, today, yesterday or last year and only then choose would + verb or would have + past participle.
Interview a career changer: after Switchback, pairs invent a guest with an old job and a new one, then ask Where would you be now if…? and Would you have… if you weren't so…?

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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B2

English Grammar Practice · B2 has 24 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the future perfect and continuous, the third and mixed conditionals, wishes, past modals, the impersonal passive, have something done, participle clauses, reporting verbs and verb patterns. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course

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