Conditional Perfect (Past Conditional)

The Conditional Perfect is used to describe actions that would have happened in the past if certain conditions had been met. It expresses unreal or hypothetical situations that did not actually occur.

Mood:

The Conditional Perfect uses the conditional mood to refer to hypothetical past events.

Usage:

• To describe unreal past situations:
  I would have gone if I had known about it.
• To express past intentions that did not happen:
  She would have called you, but she lost your number.
• In reported speech to talk about an unreal past:
  They said they would have helped us if they could.
• To express regret or criticism:
  You should have told me earlier. (modal variation)

Formation:

The Conditional Perfect is formed with:

1. The modal verb would (same for all persons)
2. The auxiliary verb have
3. The past participle of the main verb.

Formula:
would + have + past participle

Examples with “to visit”:

Person	Form
I	would have visited
You	would have visited
He/She	would have visited
We	would have visited
They	would have visited

Common Condition Words:

• if
• provided that
• as long as
• unless

Examples:

• I would have helped you if I had been there.
• They would have finished earlier if they hadn’t taken a break.
• We would have met you at the station, but we didn’t know your train was late.
• Would you have joined us if you had been free?

Notes:

• The if-clause in past unreal conditionals uses the past perfect:
  If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.
• In informal speech, “would have” is often contracted: I’d have gone, you’d have seen, he’d have helped.
• Other modals can replace “would” for nuance: could have, might have, should have.