Conditional Sentences

A. First conditional (It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.)

We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in
the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will
happen. For example, it is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon.
But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do?

Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. It is not raining yet. But the sky is
cloudy and you think that it could rain. We use the present simple tense to talk about the
possible future condition. We use WILL + base verb to talk about the possible future result.
The important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the
condition will happen

Here are some more examples (do you remember the two basic structures: [IF condition
result] and [result IF condition]?
IMPORTANT If / When

Both "if" and "when" are used in the Present Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that
something happens less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happens regularly.

Examples:

 When I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.

I regularly have days off from work.
 If I have a day off from work, I usually go to the beach.
I rarely have days off from work.

B. Second Conditional: unreal possibility or dream. (It is possible but very unlikely, that
the condition will be fulfilled.)

The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are still thinking about the future.
We are thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition.
But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you
do not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! No lottery ticket, no win! But maybe
you will buy a lottery ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like
a dream. It's not very real, but it's still possible.

Example: If I won the lottery I would buy a car.

Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. We use the past simple tense to talk
about the future condition. We use WOULD + base verb to talk about the future result. The
important thing about the second conditional is that there is an unreal possibility that
the condition will happen.

Here are some examples:

Sometimes, we use should, could or might instead of would, for example: If I won a million
dollars, I could stop working

IMPORTANT If / When

In the Present Unreal Conditional, the form "was" is not considered grammatically correct. In
written English or in testing situations, you should always use "were." However, in everyday
conversation, "was" is often used.

Examples:

 If he were French, he would live in Paris.

 If she were rich, she would buy a yacht.
 I would buy that computer if it was cheaper. Not Correct (But often said in conversation.)

Only the word "if" is used with the Present Unreal Conditional because you are discussing imaginary
situations. "When" cannot be used.

Examples:

 I would buy that computer when it were cheaper. Not Correct

 I would buy that computer if it were cheaper. Correct

Both "if" and "when" are used in the Past Real Conditional. Using "if" suggests that
something happened less frequently. Using "when" suggests that something happened
regularly.

Examples:

 When I had a day off from work, I usually went to the beach.
I regularly had days off from work.
 If I had a day off from work, I usually went to the beach.
I rarely had days off from work.

The form "used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the
past. This form is commonly used in Past Real Conditional sentences to emphasize that
something was a habit. The examples below have the same meaning as the examples above.

Examples:

 If I went to a friend's house for dinner, I used to take a bottle of wine or some
flowers. I don't do that anymore.
 When I had a day off from work, I used to go to the beach. Now, I never get time off.
 If the weather was nice, she used to walk to work. Now, she usually drives.
C. Third Conditional: no possibility (It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled
because it refers to the past.)

The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third
conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that
did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional
is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.

Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(

Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery.
So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is
finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use
WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important
thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now.

Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for
example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won.

Look at some more examples in the tables below:

Only the word "if" is used with the Past Unreal Conditional because you are discussing
imaginary situations. "When" cannot be used.

Examples:

 I would have bought that computer when it had been cheaper. Not Correct
 I would have bought that computer if it had been cheaper. Correct

Exercises

Decide whether the following Conditional Sentences are Type I, II or II.

1. If he had dropped the vase, it would have broken.

Type I Type II Type III
2. If you have to do the washing up, I will help you.
Type I Type II Type III
3. If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning ... (song)
Type I Type II Type III
4. I wouldn't run away if I saw a spider.
Type I Type II Type III
5. We'd have given you a lift if you hadn't had your bike with you.
Type I Type II Type III
6. If you had listened to me, the accident wouldn't have happened.
Type I Type II Type III
7. If we don't get tickets for the concert, we'll stay at home.
Type I Type II Type III
8. They'd go by bus if they didn't have a car.
Type I Type II Type III
9. She'll hear us if you don't stop laughing.
Type I Type II Type III
10. He wouldn't have taken the bread if he hadn't been hungry.
Type I Type II Type III

Finish these clauces to make conditional sentences!

1. If my parents permit me, I will leave in icai

2. If I earn a lot of money, I will buy a ticket concert coldplay……
3. If I had to work in West Papua, I would have eaten sago caterpillar
4. If I parents had not allowed me to join this course, ……
5. If the aircraft that I was flying had hydrolic problem, ……
6. If the aerodrome of my destination closed, ……..
7. If one of my passenger got a heart attack in flight, I would to call ambulance
8. If the Pan Am hadn’t missed the third intersection at Los Rodeos airpsort, …….