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Conditionals

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Jaunius Augustis
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41 views11 pages

Conditionals

Uploaded by

Jaunius Augustis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Conditionals

What are they?


• Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause
tells you the condition (If you study hard) and the main clause tells
you the result (you will pass your exams). The order of the clauses
does not change the meaning.

If you study hard, you will pass your exams.


You will pass your exams if you study hard.
Zero conditional
• We use the zero conditional to talk about things that are generally true,
especially for laws and rules. The 'if' in this conditional can usually be
replaced by 'when' without changing the meaning.

If I drink too much coffee, I can't sleep at night.


Ice melts if you heat it.
When the sun goes down, it gets dark.

Formula = If/when + present simple, .... present simple.


First conditional
• We use the first conditional when we talk about future situations, we
believe are real or possible. Of course, we can't know what will
happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could
easily come true.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.


Arsenal will be top of the league if they win.
When I finish work, I'll call you.

Formula = if/when + present simple, …. will + infinitive.


First vs. Zero Conditional
• The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero
conditional describes what happens in general.
• For example (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get burned
(here I'm talking about every time a person sits in the sun - the burning
is a natural consequence of the sitting).
• But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned (here I'm
talking about what will happen today, another day might be different).
First vs. Second Conditional
• The first conditional describes things that I think are likely to happen
in the future, whereas the second conditional talks about things that I
don't think will really happen. It's subjective; it depends on my point
of view.
• For example (first conditional): If she studies harder, she'll pass the
exam (I think it's possible she will study harder and so she'll pass).
• But (second conditional): If she studied harder, she would pass the
exam (I think that she won't study harder, or it's very unlikely, and so
she won't pass).
Second conditional
• The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely. We
can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true.

If we had a garden, we could have a cat.


If I won a lot of money, I'd buy a big house in the country.
I wouldn't worry if I were you.

• When if is followed by the verb be, it is grammatically correct to say if I were, if he were, if she were and
if it were. However, it is also common to hear these structures with was, especially in the he/she form.

If I were you, I wouldn't mention it.


If she was prime minister, she would invest more money in schools.
He would travel more if he was younger.

Formula = if + past simple, ….+ would + infinitive.


Third conditional
• The third conditional is used to imagine a different past. We imagine a
change in a past situation and the different result of that change.

If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really, we
know she didn't study and so she didn't pass)
If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot,
and so I did feel sick).

Formula = If + past perfect, …. would have + past participle.


Mixed conditional
• Mixed conditionals are used to describe hypothetical situations that
connect past, present, and future events. They allow us to use
different verb tenses to talk about actions that occur at different times.

• The most common combinations of mixed conditionals are three.


Mixed conditional (Past Action with
Present Result) or III+II
• This type of mixed conditional is used to describe a hypothetical present or
future result that is the consequence of a past action that did not actually
happen. This type of mixed conditional deals with changing a past action and
its hypothetical present or future result. However, it's important to note that the
result cannot happen because we cannot change the past.

If I had finished high school (III), I would be a college student now. (II)
(Here in this example, the speaker is not a college student now, but he is talking
about a change in the past and its result).
We would be getting married if you had said yes.

Formula = If + past perfect, …. would + infinitive.


Mixed conditional (Present Condition with
Past Result) or II+III
• The second type of mixed conditional is used to imagine a
hypothetical present situation that is the result of a past action that did
not actually happen.

If she were more hardworking, she would have succeeded.


If I weren't injured, I would have played.

Formula = If + past simple, …. would have + past participle.

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