It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation.
If that guy had given me the correct directions, then I wouldn’t have met my wife.
If you had been more careful, you wouldn't have had an accident.
If he had asked me, I would have helped him.
She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier.
Form
If + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle
Exactly. We can use negatives to talk about things that did happen in the past:
He wouldn’t have missed the bus if he hadn’t overslept.
This is the way we imagine how things could have been different in the past. If something had been different, something else would have happened. Notice that both the condition and the result are impossible now.
He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine.
If I had known, I wouldn't have done that.
This type of conditional can also be used when making excuses.
I would have taken a photo if I had brought my camera with me.
I wouldn't have left my job if I had known how difficult it is to find another one.
He wouldn't have become lost if he had taken the map with him.
We also use could or might.
If they’d asked me, I might have been able to help.
The Difference Between the Second and Third
In the second conditional, we are talking about hypothetical situations in the present.
- If I had more money, I would buy that fancy car.
Using the third conditional for this sentence:
If I had more money, I would have bought a new car.
Do you see the difference? The third conditional talks about the same situation but in the past.
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