My friends would not believe me If I … them this story

Analyze the question The sentence is "My friends would not believe me if I __ them this story." This tests the second conditional (unreal or unlikely situations).

Explain the concept Conditional sentences follow set patterns:

• First conditional (real/possible): If + present simple → will + verb. If I tell them, they will not believe me.
• Second conditional (unreal/hypothetical): If + past simple → would + verb. If I told them, they would not believe me.
• Third conditional (past unreal): If + past perfect → would have + past participle.

Show the solution

1. The main clause uses "would not believe", which is the "would + verb" part of the second conditional.
2. The if-clause must therefore use the simple past tense.
3. Check the options: • A. tell: present simple. This would pair with "will," not "would." ❌ • B. told: simple past. This matches "would not believe." ✅ • C. am telling: present continuous. This does not fit the pattern. ❌ • D. will tell: "will" is not used in the if-clause of a conditional. ❌

Completed sentence: My friends would not believe me if I told them this story.

Answer: B

Tip: Match the pair. "Would" in the main clause means the if-clause takes the past simple. "Will" in the main clause means the if-clause takes the present simple. Also remember that "will" almost never appears right after "if" in a conditional clause.