So confusing/conditional

So confusing/conditional
Message from shaaraf posted on 22-03-2013 at 19:21:27 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Plz Could you help me please?
Thank you for your answers.

When do we need to use "third conditional" sentences like?
"If I hadn’t spent all my money, I could’ve bought a computer."
Why can't we always describe the same sentence in "second conditional" sentence like...
"If I hadn’t spend all my money, I could buy a computer." ( I know it's correct, but as a "second conditional").
The "third conditional" sentence is so complicated and give headache...
I want to know the easiest formula to understand and use both forms without any confusion!
I want to be more fluent.
xxx

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Edited by lucile83 on 22-03-2013 21:39

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Re: So confusing/conditional from gerondif, posted on 22-03-2013 at 19:44:34 (D | E)
Hello,
imagine you are walking on the path of time:
When you say:

"If I hadn’t spent all my money, I could’ve bought a computer."
When you say this, you are looking backwards, it is a regret, you could have bought a computer before now and you would have it now.

When you say:
"If I hadn’t spent all my money, I could buy a computer (now) (tomorrow) (next week), you are looking ahead, in front of you, into the present at your feet or the future ahead. You could go to the shop and buy one.....

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Re: So confusing/conditional from rosita15, posted on 23-03-2013 at 14:11:22 (D | E)
HELLO;
Conditional Type III refer to situations in the past. An action could have happened in the past if a certain condition had been fulfilled. Things were different then. If I hadn’t spent all my money, I could’ve bought a computer ; in this sentence We just imagine, what would have happened if the situation had been fulfilled:what will happen if he didn't spend his money
and remember that It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.

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Re: So confusing/conditional from shaaraf, posted on 23-03-2013 at 16:02:57 (D | E)
Hello,

I want would like to have some more definitions...
Thank you!

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Edited by lucile83 on 23-03-2013 16:24

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Re: So confusing/conditional from rosita15, posted on 23-03-2013 at 16:18:37 (D | E)
Hello;
ok you need to know that you use conditional type three when you talk about something from the past in which you find that the condition was happening in the past so it's done and in general the result is like a blame or regret of that past

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Re: So confusing/conditional from shaaraf, posted on 23-03-2013 at 17:03:59 (D | E)
Thank you all...!

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