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Conditional Explanation 0123

The document summarizes the different types of conditional sentences in English: - The zero conditional uses present simple verbs to describe situations that are always true (e.g. "if water reaches 100 degrees, it boils"). - The first conditional uses present simple and future simple verbs to describe possible future events (e.g. "if it rains, I won't go to the park"). - The second conditional uses past simple verbs to describe unlikely or impossible future events (e.g. "if I won the lottery, I would buy a big house"). - The third conditional uses past perfect verbs to describe unreal past situations and their results (e.g. "if she had studied,

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315 views5 pages

Conditional Explanation 0123

The document summarizes the different types of conditional sentences in English: - The zero conditional uses present simple verbs to describe situations that are always true (e.g. "if water reaches 100 degrees, it boils"). - The first conditional uses present simple and future simple verbs to describe possible future events (e.g. "if it rains, I won't go to the park"). - The second conditional uses past simple verbs to describe unlikely or impossible future events (e.g. "if I won the lottery, I would buy a big house"). - The third conditional uses past perfect verbs to describe unreal past situations and their results (e.g. "if she had studied,

Uploaded by

GuadalupeGonzalez
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The Zero Conditional

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present


simple verbs (one in the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause'):
If + present simple, .... present simple.
This conditional is used when the result will always happen. So, if
water reaches 100 degrees, it always boils. It's a fact. I'm talking in
general, not about one particular situation. The result of the 'if
clause' is always the main cluase.
The 'if' in this conditional can usually be replaced by 'when' without
changing the meaning.
For example: If water reaches 100 degrees, it boils. (It is always
true, there can't be a different result sometimes). If I eat peanuts,
I am sick. (This is true only for me, maybe, not for everyone, but it's
still true that I'm sick every time I eat peanuts)
Here are some more examples:
If people eat too much, they get fat.
If you touch a fire, you get burned.
People die if they don't eat.
You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen.
Snakes bite if they are scared
If babies are hungry, they cry

The First Conditional


The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then
the future simplein the other clause:
if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of
course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this
describes possible things, which could easily come true.
If it rains, I won't go to the park.
If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.
If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.
She'll be late if the train is delayed.
She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.
If I see her, I'll tell her.
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)

The Second Conditional


The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would'
and the infinitive:
if + past simple, ...would + infinitive
(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is
mostly done in formal writing).
It has two uses.
First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are
probably not going to be true. Maybe I'm imagining some dream for
example.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably
won't win the lottery)
If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.
She would travel all over the world if she were rich.
She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never
studies, so this won't happen)
Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is
impossible, because it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the
examples:
If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his
number now, so it's impossible for me to call him).

If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.


How is this different from the first conditional?
This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first
conditional because this is a lot more unlikely.
For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would
buy a house with twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm
probably not going to have this much money, it's just a dream, not
very real)
But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new
shoes (It's much more likely that I'll have enough money to buy
some shoes)

The Third Conditional


We make the third conditional by using the past perfect after 'if'
and then 'would have' and the past participle in the second part of
the sentence:
if + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle
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 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).
If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane
She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier
She would have become a teacher if she had gone to
university

He would have been on time for the interview if he had


left the house at nine

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