Level 1 — Foundation · Spoken Clauses & Connected Speech
Drill 12: Answering "What Would Happen If…?"
Answer a hypothetical question out loud, instantly, using the correct conditional form — no translating the imagined situation from Bangla first.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this drill, you should be able to:
- Answer a 'what if' question with a correct second-conditional sentence
- Keep 'would' out of the if-clause even under time pressure
- Respond immediately, without a Bangla translation step
Introduction
Lesson 12 taught you to read a past-tense verb after "if" as a signal of possibility, not past time. Speaking a hypothetical answer on the spot is a genuinely different skill from reading one — you have to build "if + past simple, would + base verb" live, in real time.
Shadow the Model
If I had more time, I would learn a new skill every month.
Listen once, then shadow it. Notice "if I had" is said quickly and lightly — it's the setup, not the point of the sentence. The stress falls on "learn a new skill," the actual answer.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Question: "What would you do if you had an extra hour every day?" When the timer starts, answer out loud immediately with one full second-conditional sentence — don't plan the grammar first, just answer.
Answer now — one hypothetical sentence, no planning
Record Yourself
Answer the question, then record yourself and check the if-clause used past simple, not 'would'.
Model Answer
Show a model answer
There's no single correct answer — "If I had an extra hour, I would read more" and "If I had an extra hour, I would exercise" are both fine. What matters is the structure: past simple in the if-clause, "would" only in the main clause, spoken without a planning pause.
Vocabulary in Context
extraadjectiveneutral
more than what is usual or expected (অতিরিক্ত)
Often with extra charge, extra time, extra cost
“If the vessel misses the tide, there will be an extra charge.”
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Did you answer immediately, with no pause to plan the sentence?
- Did your if-clause use past simple, not "would"?
- Did your main clause correctly use "would" + base verb?
Next: Speaking 13 — Passive Voice & Information Focus: describing a process out loud using the passive voice, live, to put the right information first.