Conditionals

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CONDITIONALS

Hey learner! We continue advancing with grammar, in this post I am going to explain the differences between the 'Conditionals', which ones there are and when they are used. Conditionals in English are structures that are used to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations, within the conditionals we find 4, from the 'Zero Conditional' to the 'Third Conditional'. The differences between them are due to the degree of probability or certainty given to the hypothetical situation.

WHEN DO YOU USE THEM?

Condicionales en Inglés
Conditionals

ZERO CONDITIONAL

The 'Zero Conditional' is used to talk about situations that are true or common nowadays. To form it, a conditional clause in present simple and a main clause in present simple are used. Here are two examples to help you understand it better:

  • If it rains (present simple conditional clause), the streets get wet (present simple main clause).
  • If you heat water to 100ºC (conditional clause in present simple), it boils (main clause in present simple). 

FIRST CONDITIONAL

The 'First Conditional' is used to talk about possible situations in the future , to form it, first we use a conditional clause in present simple and a main clause in future simple. Here are two examples to better understand it:

  • If it doesn't rain tomorrow (present simple conditional clause), we will go to the park (simple future main clause). 
  • If you study hard (conditional clause in present simple), you will pass the exam (main clause in future simple).

SECOND CONDITIONAL

The 'Second Conditional' is used to talk about hypothetical or improbable situations in the present or in the future, to form it we will use a conditional clause in simple past and a main clause in simple conditional. Here I leave you two examples to understand it better:

  • If I won the lottery (simple past conditional clause), I would travel the world (simple conditional main clause).

  • If I were taller (conditional clause in simple past tense), I would have become a basketball player (main clause in simple conditional).

THIRD CONDITIONAL

The 'Third Conditional' is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past that were not fulfilled, to form it, we use a conditional clause in past perfect and a main clause in conditional perfect. Here are two examples to understand it better:

  • If I had known you were in town (past perfect conditional clause), I would have invited you to my party (perfect conditional main clause).

  • If we had left earlier (conditional clause in past perfect), we would not have missed the train (main clause in conditional perfect).

As you may have seen, conditionals in English are not complicated if we know their structure and how to use them. The verb tenses we use for each conditional are explained in the previous posts, so if you have any doubt, you can check them again (you have the link to each one highlighted in each conditional). 

Having said that, I hope it has been helpful, and if you still have any questions, you can leave them here below or send them to me by DM to my Instagram.

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