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Type 3 conditionals in Italian: How to form unrealizable or impossible hypotheticals?

By: Silvia Giorgini Althoen Fri Aug 30 2024
Italian
Sentences

In Italian, a Type 3 conditional (a.k.a Type 3 hypothetical) is a sentence that says something would have or could have happened if something else had taken place. In other words, these are sentences we use when speaking hypothetically about a situation that is impossible or was not realized, as in: “If I’d had money, I would have traveled around the world.”

In Italian, all sentences that give a condition (with se(if)) and consequence are called periodo ipotetico(hypothetical sentence). Just as in English, these sentences have two parts:

  • the “if clause,” expressing the condition

  • the main clause expressing the consequence

if clause

Se non avesse piovuto, sarei uscita con le amiche.

If it hadn’t rained, I would have gone out with my friends.

But it did rain, so I never followed this plan.

In this post, we’ll go over how to construct and use our Type 3 periodo ipoteticoto express a condition that did NOT happen.

Table of Contents

    What are the types of hypothetical sentences in Italian?

    Let’s do a final recap of the three types of periodo ipotetico. If you’ve read our posts, Type 1 conditionals in Italian and Type 2 conditionals in Italian should look familiar, but let's see them again, shall we?

    Type 1: Real / Likely

    We imagine that the condition has been met or will be met in the future.

    Se piove, prendo l’ombrello.

    If it rains, I will take the umbrella.

    Type 2: Probable / Unlikely

    The discussion is hypothetical, but the situation could come to pass.

    Se vincessi la lotteria, smetterei di lavorare.

    If I won the lottery, I would stop working.

    Type 3: Impossible

    The situation is impossible, it’s too late for it to happen.

    Se fosse andato in Italia, avrebbe visitato Roma.

    If s/he had gone to Italy, s/he would have visited Rome.

    In this post, we’ll focus on the third group, the type 3 (impossible) hypotheticals. Let’s get to our final destination!

    How to form Type 3: unrealized / impossible hypotheticals in Italian?

    In Italian, we use Type 3 hypotheticals (or periodo ipotetico dell’irrealtà) when the condition is impossible, or was not realized. This usually implies that the consequence also did not take place.

    For Type 3 constructions, you use the congiuntivo trapassato (past perfect subjunctive) with se, and use the past or present conditional for the consequence:

    CONDITION
    (unrealized / impossible)
    CONSEQUENCE
    (theoretical)

    se + congiuntivo trapassato

    if + past perfect subjunctive

    condizionale presente

    present conditional

    OR

    condizionale passato

    past conditional

    For example:

    • past perfect subjunctivepresent conditional

      Se Monica fosse andata in ferie, si sentirebbe meglio.

      If Monica had gone on vacation, she would feel better.

    • past perfect subjunctivepast conditional

      Se avessi saputo che non eri in casa non sarei venuta.

      If I had known you were not home, I would not have come.

    These examples clearly indicate that your condition is impossible because your hypothesis is in the past, and…unless you are a wizard, you cannot change the past… or can you????

    Tip

    Have a look at our posts on the past perfect subjunctive, the present conditional and the past conditional to review the tenses involved in this construction!

    Now, let’s see when to use the present vs. past conditional:

    • When meeting the condition would have theoretically changed something in the present or future → use the present conditional

      CONDITION
      (unrealized / impossible)
      CONSEQUENCE
      (theoretical present or future)

      se + congiuntivo trapassato

      if + past perfect subjunctive

      condizionale presente

      present conditional

      For example:

      past perfect subjunctivepresent conditional

      Se avessimo chiamato i nostri genitori ora sarebbero più tranquilli.

      If we had called our parents, they would be more relaxed.

      Here we indicate that the person did NOT call their parents (the condition was not realized in the past), so the parents are not relaxed (at the present time).
    • When meeting the condition would have theoretically changed something in the past → use the past conditional

      CONDITION
      (unrealized / impossible)
      CONSEQUENCE
      (theoretical past)

      se + congiuntivo trapassato

      if + past perfect subjunctive

      condizionale passato

      past conditional

      For example:

      past perfect subjunctivepast conditional

      Se fossi arrivato in anticipo ti avrei chiamato.

      If I had arrived earlier I would have called you.

      The condition was not fulfilled in the past (I did not arrive earlier), but if it had been fulfilled, then the result would have affected the past.
      Important

      In spoken Italian you can hear the imperfect indicative instead of the above construction:

      CONDITION
      (unrealized / impossible)
      CONSEQUENCE
      (theoretical past)

      se + indicativo imperfetto

      if + imperfect indicative

      indicativo imperfetto

      imperfect indicative

      For example:

      imperfect indicative

      Se arrivavo in anticipo, ti chiamavo.

      If I arrived earlier, I’d have called you.

      If I arrived earlier, I called you.

    Important

    When you use se, you are always implying a possibility or a probability, but:

    • Type 2 with the imperfect subjunctive expresses conditions contrary to present facts → possible/unlikely.

    • Type 3 with the past perfect subjunctive expresses conditions contrary to past facts → impossible.

    To sum up

    An Italian periodo ipotetico is made of two parts:

    • the “if” clause (dependent) indicating the condition, and

    • the “main” clause, indicating the consequence.

    In Italian there are three types of periodo ipotetico depending if the condition is:

    • Real

    • Possible/Unlikely

    • Impossible

    Type 3 (impossible) is used to express a condition that did NOT happen and its consequence(s) are not realized in the present/future, or in the past. Here’s how to do it:

    Se

    past perfect subjunctive

    (

    present conditional

    /

    past conditional

    )

    Ready to practice Type 3 hypotheticals in Italian? Let's go!

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