CONDITIONALS

ZERO CONDITIONAL
If you dont water flowers, they die.
If you have a headache,

stop watching TV.

If clause:

Main clause:

PRESENT SIMPLE

PRESENT SIMPLE
or IMPERATIVE

With zero conditional

we express a general truth or we give advice.

FIRST CONDITIONAL
If the weather is nice,

we will go for a walk.

If you dont apologize, she will never trust you again.

If clause:

Main clause:

PRESENT SIMPLE

FUTURE SIMPLE

The first conditional refers to the present and future.

It expresses a possible condition and
its probable result in the future.

SECOND CONDITIONAL
Jack wants to buy a house but he cant do this
because he doesnt have any money.
If I had a lot of
money,
I would buy a big
house.

SECOND CONDITIONAL
Susan wants to phone Paul but she cant do
this because she doesnt know his number.
If I knew his number,
I would phone him.

SECOND CONDITIONAL
If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house.
If I knew his number, I would phone him.

if-clause:
PAST TENSE SIMPLE

main clause:
PRESENT CONDITIONAL
would + infinitive

The second conditional refers to the present and future.

It expresses an unreal situation and its probable result.
The situation or condition is improbable, impossible,
imaginary, or contrary to known facts.

FIRST v. SECOND CONDITIONAL

If John runs fast, he will win the race.
This is still possible to happen.

If John ran fast, he would win the race.

This is unlikely to happen because John doesnt run fast.

THE DIFFERENCE: FIRST and SECOND CONDITIONAL

Both conditionals refer to the present and future.
The difference is about probability, not time.
First conditional: real and possible situations
Second conditional: unlikely to happen

THIRD CONDITIONAL
Jack wanted to buy a house last year but he
couldnt do that because he didnt have any money.
If I had had a lot of money,
I would have bought
a big house.

THIRD CONDITIONAL
Yesterday, Susan wanted to phone Paul but she
couldnt do that because she didnt know his number.
If I had known his
number,
I would have phoned him.

THIRD CONDITIONAL
If I had had a lot of money, I would have bought a big house.
If I had known his number, I would have phoned him.

if-clause:
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

main clause:
PAST CONDITIONAL
would + have + past participle

The third conditional refers to the past and

it is not based on facts. It expresses the a situation
which is contrary to reality in the past.

SECOND v. THIRD CONDITIONAL

If I saw a car accident, I would call an ambulance.
But I dont see an accident now. This is unlikely to happen .

If I had seen a car accident, I would have called an ambulance.

But I didnt see an accident yesterday.
This is contrary to the fact in the past.

THE DIFFERENCE: SECOND and THIRD CONDITIONAL

The difference is about time.
Second conditional: refers to the present and future
Third conditional: refers to the past situations

ALL CONDITIONALS
0. If he drives carefully, he avoids the accident.
General time reference.

1. If he drives carefully, he will avoid the accident tomorrow.

This is still possible to happen.

2. If he drove carefully, he would avoid the accident today.

But he doesnt drive carefully. This is unlikely to happen.

3. If he had driven carefully, he would have avoided the accident

yesterday.
But he didnt drive carefully, so he didnt avoid the accident.

1.

Exercise : Use correct

conditional sentence to
If we ______ (have) wings, we _______ (can fly) as high
complete
each sentence
as we like.

Tom acts as if he ____ (be) the boss.

3. It is raining now so the game is cancelled.
If it ____ (not rain) now, the game ______ (not cancel).
4.Carol missed the train because she got up late this morning.
If Carol _____ (get) up early, she _____ (not miss) the
train.
5.I didnt eat breakfast this morning so I feel hungry now.
If I ______ (eat) my breakfast this morning, I _______ (not
feel) hungry now.
2.

Complete sentences with the

appropriate conditional form
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Itll be quicker if we .. a taxi to the airport. (get)

If the company stopped advertising online it . (have) higher operating costs.
I think hed be happier if he ..(not live) alone.
The managing director wouldnt have fired so many of his employees if they
.. (relocate) earlier.
We dont start if all the students ..(talk)
Ill be very surprised if Maria .(not get) the job that was advertised here last
week.
If you cross an international date line, the time..(change).
If the entrepreneur hadnt taken so many risks, the company .(not close
down).
All the goods would have sold out If we .. (drop) the prices a little.
If I (pass) all my exams I would be working by now.
If I (to be) you, Id leave it until tomorrow.

KEY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Itll be quicker if we get a taxi to the airport.

If the company stopped advertising online, it would have higher
operating costs.
I think hed be happier, if he didnt live alone.
The managing director wouldnt have fired many of his employees
if they had relocated earlier.
We dont start if all the students are talking.
Ill be very surprised if Maria doesnt get the job that was advertised
here last week.
If you cross an international date line, the time changes.
If the entrepreneur hadnt taken so many risks, the company
wouldnt have closed down.
All the goods would have sold out, If we had dropped the prices a
little.
If I had passed all my exams, I would be working by now. (mixed
cond)
If I were you, Id leave it until tomorrow.

THE END