Conditional Forms
Using Conditionals
Conditional forms are used in different ways and we can use them to talk about present, future and past possibilities.
We’ll take a look here at the variety of conditional forms we can use and how we use them.
Basic Conditionals: Zero & 1st
The first type of conditionals we are going to use look at what are called the zero and first conditionals.
The zero conditional is not really a condition , even though we use the word if, and it describes something that is true. For example.
- If you heat ice, it melts.
- If you live in certain northern European countries, you need to have warm clothes in the winter.
Both of these examples describe situations the people believe are true and there is no real condition.
We can describe the grammar of these sentences like this.
Zero conditional: If + present form , present form
In the first conditional one part of the sentence considers the condition and predicts the result or consequence of this activity. We usually think about present or future situations when we use this form. For example.
- If I see Anders, I will tell him you want to speak to him.
- If the team plays badly on Saturday again, they will lose.
In these examples the speaker is making a prediction and describing what they believe will happen because of this.
We can describe the grammar of these sentences as follows
1st conditional: If + present form, future form
2nd Conditionals
The second conditional is a type of past conditional. When we use this form we are imagining a different situation and we are usually thinking of a present situation. Let’s look at some examples of how we construct this.
- If I knew the answer, I would tell you. (but I don’t know it)
- If I won the lottery, I could travel the world. (I haven’t won the lottery)
- If I spoke better English, I might get a better job. (I don’t speak such good English)
As you can see from the examples we can use different modal verb forms. Would is the most common form but we can also use could, may and might. We can describe the grammar of these sentences this way.
2nd conditional: If + past form, modal verb
3rd Conditionals
The third conditional refers to activities or actions that have finished. When we use this form we understand that it’s impossible to change these actions. This form is used to describe a possible different result to a situation. As with the 2nd conditional we also use modal verbs. Let’s look at some examples.
- If I hadn’t got up late, I could have caught the early bus.
- If Juan had studied more, he would have passed his exam.
- If Lucia had spent more time in Paris, she might have gone to the Palace of Versailles.
The grammar of this conditional form is quite complex and we need to use the third form of verbs, the past participle or p.p.
3rd conditional: If + past perfect form, modal verb + have + p.p.
There is another way we can write this type of conditional form by using the word had in the first part of the condition. Let’s look at how this changes one of the example sentences.
Had Lucia spent more time in Paris, she might have gone to the Palace of Versailles.
To create this example we don’t use the word if and we also put had at the beginning of the sentence. This version of 3rd conditional is not common and it’s also very formal. However, it is possible to find these type of examples in exam exercises.
Mixed Conditionals
We can also mix different parts of the conditionals. Sometimes we don’t just want to talk about past activities like the third conditional. We might want to think about how past activities affected the present. Let’s look at an example of this.
If I hadn’t lost my lottery ticket, I would be rich now.
This example has a combination of 3rd conditional and 2nd conditional. Here we are thinking about something that happened in the past and which could have a possible effect now. Let’s look at another example.
If my parents told you to be there at six, they will be home at 6.
This sentence is a combination of a second conditional and a first conditional. In this situation the person is imagining a different present tense and predicting a result.
These are two common examples that we use and there are many other ways to do this. The form you choose depends how you want to communicate information in the condition. Even so, these forms are not very common but sometimes be found in exams.
Alternative words For If
Finally, there are a number of other words and expressions, which have the same meaning, we can use instead of the word if. When we use these it doesn’t change the grammar of the sentence.
Let’s look at some examples of this.
As long as you finish the report today, your boss will be happy.
We can also use some more formal ways of replacing if.
- Provided that (you finish …)
- Providing that (you finish …)
- On condition that (you finish …)
We can also use a word like unless which means if not and it does not use any negative verbs.
Unless you are really sick, you need to go to school tomorrow.
NOTE: The word when also uses the same grammar as these types of if forms. For example
When I finish, I will call you.