2nd Conditionals: Foods we miss while travelling

The second conditional is used to talk about ‘unreal’ or impossible things.

Examples: 

If I won the lottery I´d buy a beach house in California. 

Where would you travel if you could go anywhere in the world?

If you didn’t smoke so much you’d feel a lot better.

The structure is usually if + past simple and would + infinitive. It’s not important which clause comes first.

Look at the difference between the first and second conditionals.

·       In January: If it snows tomorrow I’ll go skiing. (It might snow tomorrow.)

·       In August: If it snowed tomorrow I’d go skiing. (It almost certainly won’t snow tomorrow.)

NOTE: Although many conditional sentences use if + will/would, conditional sentences can also use other words instead of ‘if’ – e.g. ‘when’ ‘as soon as’ ‘in case’ Other modal verbs can be used instead of ‘will/would’ – e.g. ‘can/could’, ‘may’ ‘might’.

Okay, let´s put this theory into practice. I´ll go first. The question is, which foods do you miss the most while traveling or living abroad? Use the conditionals to talk about this topic.

pancake breakfast

Here is a list of 17 Foods all Americans miss while living in Europe. In my opinion, it is spot on.

       

bagel and cream cheese

• if + past simple and would + infinitive: If it was Saturday morning in California, I would eat a typical American breakfast from my favorite diner.
• if + past simple and would + infinitive: If I could, I would have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch everyday.
• if + past simple and would + infinitive: If I had to choose, I would say I miss Thanksgiving dinner the most.



tex-mex

• I might be able to eat more authentic Mexican food if I lived in California.

• When I can, I may bring some hot sauce back to Spain with me.
• I will try to make my own bagels here, if I can.
• As soon as I go to visit, my family will have a BBQ.
• In case I can´t return this year, I will still enjoy the spanish cuisine!

With a partner, discuss the things you miss most while traveling abroad, using these structures:

• if + will/would
• when
• as soon as
• in case
• can/could
• may
• might