Conditionals
Conditionals:
- The Zero Conditional (Type 0)
“Phosphorus burns if you expose it to air.” - First Conditional (Type I)
“If I have the money, I will buy this car.” - Second Conditional (Type II)
“If I were you, I would not talk to him.” - Third Conditional (Type III)
“If had studied harder, I would have aced the test.” - Wish Sentences
“I wish I hadn’t said that to him.”
- The zero conditional is a structure used for talking about general truths, or scientific facts — things which always happen under certain conditions.
- The first conditional (also called conditional type 1) is a structure used for talking about possibilities in the present or in the future.Type 1: if + present + future.
- The second conditional (also called conditional type 2) is a structure used for talking about unreal situations in the present or in the future.Type 2: if + past + conditional.
- The third conditional (also called conditional type 3) is a structure used for talking about unreal situations in the past.In other words, it is used to talk about things which DID NOT HAPPEN in the past. Type 3: if + past perfect + perfect conditional.
- The verb wish expresses a desire for a situation that does not exist right now in the present. A wish is a desire to change a real situation into an unreal one. The unreal situation is expressed in the simple past.
There are three types of the if-clauses.
| type | condition |
|---|---|
| I | condition possible to fulfill |
| II | condition in theory possible to fulfill |
| III | condition not possible to fulfill (too late) |
Form
| type | if clause | main clause |
|---|---|---|
| I | Simple Present | will-future (or Modal + infinitive) |
| II | Simple Past | would + infinitive * |
| III | Past Perfect | would + have + past participle * |
Examples
| type | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| I | positive | If I study, I will pass the exam. |
| negative | If I study, I won’t fail the exam. If I don’t study, I will fail the exam. |
|
| II | positive | If I studied, I would pass the exam. |
| negative | If I studied, I wouldn’t fail the exam. If I didn’t study , I would fail the exam. |
|
| III | positive | If I had studied, I would have passed the exam. |
| negative | If I had studied, I wouldn’t have failed the exam. If I hadn’t studied, I would have failed the exam. |
* We can substitute could or might for would (should, may or must are sometimes possible, too).
| I would pass the exam. |
| I could pass the exam. |
| I might pass the exam. |
| I may pass the exam. |
| I should pass the exam. |
| I must pass the exam. |
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