Look at these examples to see how zero, first and

second conditionals are used.

If you freeze water, it becomes solid.

If it rains tomorrow, I'll take the car.
If I lived closer to the cinema, I would go more often.
Grammar explanation
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.

Conditional sentences are often divided into different types.

Zero conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about things that are
generally true, especially for laws and rules.

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.

The structure is: 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.
*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.
-In first conditional sentences, the structure is usually: if/when + present simple
>> will + infinitive.
-It is also common to use this structure with unless, as long as, as soon as or in
case instead of if.
*I'll leave as soon as the babysitter arrives.
*I don't want to stay in London unless I get a well-paid job.
*I'll give you a key in case I'm not at home.
*You can go to the party, as long as you're back by midnight.
Second conditional
-The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that
are impossible or unlikely in reality.
*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.
-The structure is usually: if + past simple >> + would + infinitive.
-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.
7)

What will you do if you get bored?

8)

What will you do if you don't like the food in the UK?

9)

What will you do if you split up with your partner?

10)

What will you do if you feel lonely?

1. What will you when you get retired?
2. What will you do if you win the lottery?
3. What will you do if you break up with your friend?
4. What will you do if you get divorced?
5. If you want to relax after class, what will you watch?
6. If you have some free time on Saturday, will you study more?
7. What medicine will you take if you catch a cold next week?
8. What will you do if you get your dream job?
9. What will you do if your mother buys you a car
-What would you do if somebody stole your car?
-What would you do if you saw a man trying to steal your car?
-Where would you live if you could live anywhere?
-If you were powerful enough to change the world, what would
you change?
-If you were given three wishes, what would you wish?
-Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?
-If you could change your past, what would you change?
-If your house was on fire, what personal belonging would you
miss the most?
-If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be?-
-What would you do if you won a million dollars?

-If you won the lottery, what would you buy?

-If you changed your name, what name would you choose?

-What would you do if you could be invisible for a day?

-What would you do if you saw a ghost?

-What would you do if you saw a person shoplifting?

Third conditional

How is it different from other conditionals?

Ella: I didn’t know this was going to be a formal party. If I’d known, I
would have worn something nicer.
This is the way we imagine how things could have
been different in the past. If something had been
different, something else would have happened.
Notice that both the condition and the result are
impossible now.

If I’d known, I would have worn something nicer.

In this case, Ella didn’t know about the party so

she didn’t wear formal clothes.
When do we use the third conditional?
The third conditional is used to express the past consequence of an unrealistic
action or situation in the past.
For example,
-If he had studied harder, he would have passed the exam.
The first action (studying hard) did not happen. But in the case that it
happened, the consequence was passing the exam. The third conditional is very
similar to the second conditional. But while the second conditional refers to
something unrealistic now or in the future, the third conditional refers to
something unrealistic in the past.

We often use the third conditional to express regrets – describing things we are
sorry happened or didn’t happen. For example,
If my alarm had gone off, I wouldn’t have been late to work.
If there hadn’t been so much traffic we wouldn’t have missed our flight.
How do we create the third conditional?
To make a sentence in the third conditional, we use,
 
If + past perfect, would/wouldn’t have + past participle.
•If you had told me about the meeting, I would have come.
•If you had told me about the meeting, I wouldn’t have missed
it.
 
As with all conditionals, you can also invert this structure:
Would have + past participle if + past perfect.
•I’d have come to the meeting if you’d told me about it.
•I wouldn’t have missed the meeting if you’d told me about it.
-The word would is often contracted to ‘d by native speakers. It’s
also acceptable to use this in informal writing. And in speech it’s
common to contract have to ‘ve in the third conditional. For
example,
•I’d’ve come to the meeting if you’d told me.
However, we can’t write this, even in an informal context. It’s
useful to be aware of it though, so you can identify it when native
speakers say it.
-As an alternative to would, we can complete the second part of a
third conditional sentence with could. For example,
•If I’d stayed at university, I could have got a masters degree.
-What university would you have chosen if you could have done
absolutely anything?
-Would you have attended university (in a different country) if
you have had the money?
-Would you have bought a brand new car if you have had
enough money to do so?
-What would have been different about your life if you had
grown up in another country?
-What would you have studied if you hadn’t studied ______?
Conversation Questions

-What did you study at school / university? What other

options did you have? Explain them to your group.
-Do you remember the interview for your job? What
would have happened if you hadn’t got it?
-If you have a partner how did you meet? How could
things have happened differently?
-Think of an important exam you passed or failed in the
past, how could things have happened differently?
-What would you have done this week if you’d had more
time? Why?
-What would you have done last year if you’d had more
money?
-Think of a time when someone helped you with something,
what would you have done without their help?
-Think of a time when you helped someone, what would they
have done without your help?
-Think of a time when you had an accident, how could things
have happened differently?
Think of big decisions you have made in your life related to
work / studying / family, how could things have happened
differently? How could things be different now?
Mixing the second and the third conditionals
It’s possible to combine the second and the third conditionals. There are two
ways of doing that. We can either,
-Describe the present consequence of a past situation
If + past simple, would have + past participle
•If I were adventurous, I’d have gone backpacking after university.
-Describe the past consequence of a present situation
If + past perfect, would + verb
•If we hadn’t missed the flight, we’d be in our hotel by now.
Here are some more examples,
•If I’d studied for a year in the U.S, my English would be fluent now.
•The roads wouldn’t be so icy if it hadn’t rained so much last night.
•If she weren’t so shy, she’d have gone to the party on her own.
•The fans would be miserable now if their team had been relegated.
 Wouldn’t have /Wouldn’t be/ Weren’t

Would say/had said/said

Had invited/would invite/would have invited

Had taken/took/would have taken

Wouldn’t marry/wouldn’t have married/ hadn’t marry

1.If you had been born into a rich family, how would your life be
different now?
2.If the aliens had come to Earth, what sort of world would we
live in?
3.If you had studied something different at school or university,
how would your life be different today?
4.If the internet hadn’t been invented, would the world be a
better place?
5.If you hadn’t got your current job, what would you be doing
now?
-If you were a millionaire, how would you have spent your last holiday?
-If you were the opposite gender, how would your childhood have been
different?
-If you were the leader of your country, what would you have done differently
in the last 5 years?
-
- What would you have done in your last holiday if time, money etc had been no limit?
How could that have changed your life?
- How would your country be different if someone different had won the last election?
- If you could change one thing about your body or personality, what would it be?
- What would you do if you knew that the world was going to be hit by a comet and
destroyed in one week?
- How would you have made … a success rather than a failure?
- What things could make you emigrate?
- What would you do if you saw a UFO?
- If you could change three things about the world today, what would you change?
- How would you have designed your city/ your office building/ this building
differently?
- What object would you choose to be buried with (if practical things like size weren’t
important)?
- If your house was on fire and you could only take one object, which would it be?