Conditionals – made easy

Conditionals made easy

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as ‘’the unreal past’’ because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using ‘’unless’’ instead of "if".

If Cinderella's shoe fits she doesn't lose it.
If Cinderella's shoe fits she will not lose it.
If Cinderella's shoe fitted she would not lose it.
If Cinderella's shoe had fitted she wouldn't have lost it.
If Cinderella's shoe had fitted we wouldn't even know who Cinderella was.

Structures

  • zero cond. – General truths
  • 1st cond. – A possible condition and its probable result
  • 2nd cond. – A hypothetical condition and its probable result
  • 3rd cond. – An unreal past condition and its probable result in the past
  • mixed cond. – An unreal past condition and its probable result in the present
  • zero cond. – Simple present + Simple present
  • 1st cond. – Simple present + Simple future
  • 2nd cond. – Simple past + Present conditional
    or 
    2nd cond. – Simple past Present continuous cond.
  • 3rd cond. – Past perfect + Perfect conditional
  • mixed cond. – Past perfect Present conditional

THE ZERO CONDITIONAL

The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero conditional sentences, the word "if" can usually be replaced by the word "when" without changing the meaning.

If clause - simple present

If this thing happens
If you heat ice
If it rains
Main clause - simple present
that thing happens.
it melts.
the grass gets wet.

THE FIRST CONDITIONAL

The 1st conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The 1st conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.

If clause - simple present

If this thing happens
If you don't hurry
If it rains today
Main clause - simple future
that thing will happen.
you will miss the train.
you will get wet.

THE SECOND CONDITIONAL

The 2nd conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The 2nd conditional is used to refer to a hypothetical condition and its probable result. In 2nd conditional sentences, the if clause uses the simple past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.

If clause - simple past



If this thing happened





If you went to bed earlier
If it rained
If I spoke Italian
Main clause - present conditional OR present continuous conditional

that thing would happen. (but I'm not sure this thing will happen)
OR; that thing would be happening.

you would not be so tired. you would get wet. I would be working in Italy.

THE THIRD CONDITIONAL

The 3rd conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is contrary to reality. The facts the conditionals are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The 3rd conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In 3rd conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the perfect conditional.

If clause - past perfect



If this thing had happened




If you had studied harder

If it had rained

If I had accepted that promotion
Main clause - perfect conditional

that thing would have happened. (But neither of those things happened) OR; that thing would have been happening.

you would have passed the exam.
you would have gotten wet.
I would have been working in Milan.

MIXED CONDITIONAL

The mixed type conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is ongoing into the present. The facts the conditionals are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The mixed type conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. In mixed type conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the present conditional.

If clause - past perfect


If this thing had happened



If I had worked harder at school

If we had looked at the map
If you weren't afraid of spiders
Main clause - perfect conditional

that thing would happen. (But this thing didn't happen so that thing isn't happening)
I would have a better job now.

we wouldn't be lost.

you would have picked it
up and put it outside.

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