NORDINVERSITY
1st Bac Grammar

Unit 9: Grammar: Second Conditional & Reported Speech (الشرط الثاني والكلام المنقول)

This lesson covers two essential structures: the Second Conditional for imagining unreal situations, and Reported Speech for telling others what someone said.

Second Conditional

The "Dreaming" tense. Used for unreal or imaginary present situations. *"If I were rich, I would buy a boat."*

Reported Speech

Telling what someone said. We move the tenses backwards . *"I am tired" He said he was tired.*

Second Conditional: The "Unreal" If (الشرط النوع الثاني: التخيلي)

`If + Past Simple , ... Would + Verb (base)`

Second Conditional: The "Unreal" If (الشرط النوع الثاني: التخيلي)

Imaginary Situation

"If I won the lottery, I would travel the world."

Giving Advice

"If I were you, I would study every day."

Reported Speech: The "Backshift" (الكلام المنقول: تغيير الزمن)

Tense Backshift Time Words Change
  • am / is / are was / were
  • will would
  • can could
  • Present Simple Past Simple
  • Now Then
  • Today That day
  • Tomorrow The next day
  • Yesterday The day before

Full Examples

Direct: "I like pizza." Reported: He said that he liked pizza. Direct: "I will call you today ." Reported: She said she would call me that day .

National Exam Key

Two common exam traps: 1. In Second Conditional, we usually use "were" for all subjects (even "I", "He", "She"). Example: *"If she were here..."* 2. When reporting speech, don't forget to change Pronouns . If Ali says " I am happy", when you report it, Ali becomes " He ": *"Ali said he was happy."*

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