What Would You Do?
Second Conditional — hypothetical and imaginary situations. Maya, Leo, Omar, and Priya play 'The Dream Game' at Café Colibri: superpowers, a million dollars, and their dream city.
📖 Reading: The Dream Game
It's a quiet Sunday at Café Colibri. Leo, Maya, Omar, and Priya are playing "The Dream Game."
"If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" asks Leo.
"I'd choose the ability to speak every language instantly," says Maya. "I wouldn't need to study English anymore!"
"I'd choose to fly," says Leo. "If I could fly, I wouldn't need a bike!"
"What would you do if you won a million dollars?" asks Priya.
"If I won a million dollars, I'd open ten more Café Colibris," says Leo immediately.
"I'd travel the world for a year," says Maya. "If I had enough money, I'd visit every continent."
"I'd pay for medical school and donate the rest," says Omar quietly.
"If you could live in any city in the world, where would you live?" asks Maya.
"If I could choose, I'd live somewhere with perfect weather all year," says Priya. "Maybe Barcelona or Lisbon."
"I'd stay in Toronto," says Leo. "If I lived somewhere else, I'd miss this café. And you all."
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said!" says Maya.
"Don't tell anyone," says Leo. "It'll ruin my reputation as the funny one."
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| superpower | An extraordinary ability that normal people don't have | n. — What superpower would you choose? |
| instantly | Immediately; happening at once | adv. — She'd speak every language instantly. |
| donate | To give something, especially money, to a good cause | v. — Omar would donate the rest. |
| reputation | The opinion that others have of you | n. — It'll ruin my reputation! |
| hypothetical | Based on a possible but not real situation | adj. — The second conditional describes hypothetical situations. |
| continent | One of the seven large land masses of the Earth | n. — I'd visit every continent. |
| miss | To feel sad because someone or something is absent | v. — I'd miss this café if I moved. |
| ability | The skill or possibility to do something | n. — The ability to speak every language. |
📚 Key Verbs in This Lesson | |
would + verb | I'd choose to fly. / She'd travel the world. |
wouldn't + verb | I wouldn't need to study English anymore. |
to miss | I'd miss this café. / He would miss his friends. |
to donate | Omar would donate the money. |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 Second Conditional — Structure | |
Structure | If + Past Simple, would + infinitive |
Example | If I won a million dollars, I'd open ten cafés. |
Order reversed | I'd open ten cafés if I won a million dollars. |
If I were (not was) | If I were you, I'd call first. (formal: "were" for all subjects) |
Meaning | Imaginary / hypothetical: not likely to happen, or impossible now. |
First vs. Second Conditional
📚 First vs. Second Conditional | |
First (real/likely) | If it rains tomorrow, I'll stay home. (possible) |
Second (hypothetical/unlikely) | If I could fly, I'd go to Mexico. (not possible) |
Second (giving advice) | If I were you, I'd talk to the manager. |
I wish... (related structure)
📚 I wish... (related structure) | |
I wish + Past Simple | I wish I spoke every language. |
I wish + could | I wish I could fly. |
Meaning | Expressing a desire for something that is not true now. |
🎭 Dialogue: The Dream Game
The friends extend the Dream Game to dream jobs. Leo gets a teasing answer from Omar.
OK, new question: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
If I could choose, I'd be a travelling photographer.
I'd be a doctor without borders — travelling and helping people.
I'd be a chess grandmaster! If I could play full time, I'd be world champion.
Ha! What about me?
You'd be the world's most famous barista, obviously.
I'd be happy with that. If my coffee were famous, I'd travel the world!
You already travel — to the counter and back, every day!
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What superpower would Maya choose? Why?
What would Leo do with a million dollars?
What would Omar do with a million dollars?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
Complete: 'If I ___ fly, I ___ a bike.'
Complete: 'If she ___ a million dollars, she ___ the world.'
Complete: 'If Omar ___ rich, he ___ most of the money.'
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model.
- Play the Dream Game together. Take turns asking Second Conditional questions.
- Examples: If you could live in any century, when would you live? If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? If you could have dinner with anyone, who would you choose?
- Give detailed answers and ask follow-up questions (Why? Where? With whom?).
- Try to include at least one I wish… answer.