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Conditionals

Conditionals in English grammar, also known as 'if clauses', describe potential outcomes based on certain conditions and are categorized into four types: Zero, First, Second, and Third Conditionals. Each type uses different verb tenses to convey facts, future possibilities, unlikely scenarios, or past situations that did not occur. Understanding these conditionals helps in expressing various degrees of certainty and hypothetical situations in communication.

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3 views

Conditionals

Conditionals in English grammar, also known as 'if clauses', describe potential outcomes based on certain conditions and are categorized into four types: Zero, First, Second, and Third Conditionals. Each type uses different verb tenses to convey facts, future possibilities, unlikely scenarios, or past situations that did not occur. Understanding these conditionals helps in expressing various degrees of certainty and hypothetical situations in communication.

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ymegzari
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Conditionals

What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them 'if clauses'. They
describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might have
happened but didn't (in the past). They are made using different English verb tenses.

There are four kinds:

• The Zero Conditional:


(if + present simple, ... present simple)
If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.

• The First Conditional:


(if + present simple, ... will + infinitive)
If it rains tomorrow, we'll go to the cinema.

• The Second Conditional:


(if + past simple, ... would + infinitive)
If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world.

• The Third Conditional:


(if + past perfect, ... would + have + past participle)
If I had gone to bed early, I would have caught the train.

(Notice we can put 'if' at the beginning, or in the middle. It doesn't matter at all.)

The Zero Conditional


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.

Here are some examples:

- If people eat too much, they get fat.

- If you touch a fire, you get burned.

- People die if they don't eat.

The First Conditional


The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', and the future simple in the
other clause:
if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

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.

- 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.

- She'll be late if the train is delayed.

- She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.

- If I see her, I'll tell her.

First vs. Zero 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)

The Second Conditional


The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

if + past simple, ...would + infinitive

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in formal
writing).

It has two uses.

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 won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)

- If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.

- She would travel all over the world if she were rich.
- She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't happen)

Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because
it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:

- 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.

How is this different from the first conditional?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot
more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty
bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just
a dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more
likely that I'll have enough money to buy some shoes)

The 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.

- If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but really we know she didn't study,
and so she didn't pass)

- If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel
sick).

- 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 become a teacher if she had gone to university

- He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine

Source: Adapted from http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/conditionals.html

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