Second Conditional with Cher
Sometimes marching in your underwear on a military ship can be educational in more than one way
Ever since her debut in the Late Jurassic, Cher has been a symbol of reinvention and empowerment. And now she’s here to teach you the second conditional with her smash hit from 1989, If I Could Turn Back Time.
The song was actually written by the Queen of Cliche, Diane Warren, but don’t let that discourage you. Cher’s performance turns it into an unforgettable grammar anthem.
The lyrics of the song are pretty straightforward—as I mentioned, Diane Warren is not a fan of complicated metaphors:
If I could turn back time
If I could find a way
I'd take back those words that've hurt you
And you'd stay
We’re actually getting two second conditionals in one verse:
If I could turn back time, I would take back those words (that’ve hurt you).
If I could find a way, you would stay.
Don’t let the modal “could” in the conditional clause fool you. In this case, it’s the past of “can”. In both examples, the grammatical structure is:
if + past simple → would + infinitive
Of course, the drama in the song is that turning back time is absolutely impossible. If it were possible, Cher wouldn’t have used the second conditional! (You see what I did here? Ha-ha!)
With no other options left, our grammar diva decides to move on with her life by throwing a party on a war ship. The skimpy outfit is just a middle finger in the face of the second law of thermodynamics!
Grammar on, Cher!