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Conditionals

The document discusses four types of conditionals in English: 1) The zero conditional uses the present simple in both clauses to describe general facts or situations that always occur. 2) The first conditional uses the present simple followed by "will" to talk about possible future events. 3) The second conditional uses the past simple followed by "would" to talk about unlikely or imaginary situations. 4) The third conditional uses the past perfect followed by "would have" to talk about unreal past situations and their possible results.

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39 views2 pages

Conditionals

The document discusses four types of conditionals in English: 1) The zero conditional uses the present simple in both clauses to describe general facts or situations that always occur. 2) The first conditional uses the present simple followed by "will" to talk about possible future events. 3) The second conditional uses the past simple followed by "would" to talk about unlikely or imaginary situations. 4) The third conditional uses the past perfect followed by "would have" to talk about unreal past situations and their possible results.

Uploaded by

elyd1509
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Conditionals

1. 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 clause. • The 'if' in this conditional can usually be replaced by 'when' without
changing the meaning.

EXAMPLES

 If people eat too much, they get fat.


 If you touch a fire, you get burned.
 People die if they don't eat.
 She gets water if she mixes hydrogen and oxygen.
 Snakes bites if they are scared.
 If babies are (are) hungry, they cry (cry).

1. FIRST CONDITIONAL

 The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause. • if +
present simple, … will/shall + verb • 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.

EXAMPLES

 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.

THE ZERO CONDITIONAL VS. FIRST 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)

1. SECOND CONDITIONAL

 The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive
 if + past simple, … would + infinitive verb • We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'.
This is mostly done in formal writing. • It has two uses.

EXAMPLES

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 met the Queen of England, I would say hello.


 She would travel all over the world if she were rich.

EXAMPLES
Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's not true.

 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.

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)

1. 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.

EXAMPLES

 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 became a teacher if she had gone to university

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