third conditional

English

Noun

third conditional (plural third conditionals)

1. (grammar, linguistics) A structure used to convey unreal or unfulfilled events in the past, containing an if clause (with a verb in the past perfect) and a main clause (with would + the bare perfect infinitive of a verb).

   Coordinate terms: zero conditional, first conditional, second conditional, mixed conditional

   "If Columbus hadn't discovered America, he wouldn't have been famous" is an example of the third conditional.