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!
Type 3 conditionals in Italian: How to form unrealizable or impossible hypotheticals?
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
Se non avesse piovuto, sarei uscita con le amiche.
If it hadn’t rained, I would have gone out with my friends.
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 | Example |
---|---|
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 subjunctiveNo definition set for subjunctiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.) with se, and use the past or present conditionalNo definition set for conditionalLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. 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
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 conditionalSe 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 conditionalSe 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 indicativeSe 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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