Look at these examples to see how zero, first and second conditionals are used.
If you freeze water, it becomes solid.
If it rains tomorrow, I'll take the car.
If I lived closer to the cinema, I would go more often.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Conditionals describe the result of a certain condition. The if clause tells you the condition (If you study hard) and the main clause tells you the result (you will pass your exams). The order of the clauses does not change the meaning.
If you study hard, you will pass your exams.
You will pass your exams if you study hard.
Conditional sentences are often divided into different types.
Zero conditional
We use the zero conditional to talk about things that are generally true, especially for laws and rules.
If I drink too much coffee, I can't sleep at night.
Ice melts if you heat it.
When the sun goes down, it gets dark.
The structure is: if/when + present simple >> present simple.
First conditional
We use the first conditional when we talk about future situations we believe are real or possible.
If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.
Arsenal will be top of the league if they win.
When I finish work, I'll call you.
In first conditional sentences, the structure is usually: if/when + present simple >> will + infinitive.
It is also common to use this structure with unless, as long as, as soon as or in case instead of if.
I'll leave as soon as the babysitter arrives.
I don't want to stay in London unless I get a well-paid job.
I'll give you a key in case I'm not at home.
You can go to the party, as long as you're back by midnight.
Second conditional
The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are impossible or unlikely in reality.
If we had a garden, we could have a cat.
If I won a lot of money, I'd buy a big house in the country.
I wouldn't worry if I were you.
The structure is usually: if + past simple >> + would + infinitive.
When if is followed by the verb be, it is grammatically correct to say if I were, if he were, if she were and if it were. However, it is also common to hear these structures with was, especially in the he/she form.
If I were you, I wouldn't mention it.
If she was prime minister, she would invest more money in schools.
He would travel more if he was younger.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello howtosay_,
1) By definition, a second conditional only talks about unreal events in the present or future.
That said, you can certainly use past tenses to refer to real past events. Both sentences A and C are correct, for example, assuming the traveling to different cities was something the speaker did regularly.
Sentence B doesn't make sense to me. As far as I can think it's not impossible to use a past perfect to refer to a real past event, but in this case I find it confusing.
2) We probably use mixed conditionals more often in informal speech, but it could be confusing not to use the past perfect form when referring to an unreal past event, i.e. something that did not occur. Perhaps some people might not use the form occasionally, but it could be confusing not to use the form properly, particularly if you're a non-native speaker.
Hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
would you tell me what the difference is between “I don't want to stay in London unless I get a well-paid job" and "I won't want to stay in London unless I get a well-paid job"
thanks in advance
Hi Username656602,
There is not a big difference. "I won't want ..." is more obviously about a future situation, and refers to not wanting to stay in London at some unspecified moment in the future.
"I don't want ..." could also refer to the future. Alternatively, it could mean that the speaker feels that way presently, i.e. at the moment of saying this sentence, although the action of moving away from London still depends on getting a well-paid job (or not) in the future.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello mates.I can't understand the terms "likely" and "unlikely" in a conditional sentence. Does "would" mean unlikely. I'm unlikely to get the job. And "will" means likely. I will likely get the job. Please explain.
It would be great if you got the job. suggesting that getting the job is unlikely.
It will be great if you get the job. suggesting that getting the job is likely
Hi Mangku Purel,
Yes, right. In the sentence with "would" and "got", the speaker thinks it is not so likely to happen. In the sentence with "will" and "get", the speaker thinks that there is a reasonable chance that it can happen.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Heloo Jonathan thank you. Why is it unlikely? Can you illustrate how I see the situtuation? Or the speaker is just imagining or how?
Whereas in the sentence "will" and "get", is the speaker interviewing at a company, aften finishing he says this and uses the first conditional?
Hello Mangku Purel,
When the speaker uses 'would' or 'will', they are showing you what they think about the likelihood of it happening. The context, which includes the listener's knowledge of the speaker and their thoughts, is also crucial.
There are so many possible situations in which someone could say 'will get' that it's impossible to explain them all. I think the best thing you can do is read texts in English and be alert to 'will' and 'would'. In the context of a fuller text, the meaning will be much easier to understand.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello. I saw this sentence in a book “If we were to have ever had a child, I like to imagine it would look like him”.
For context, this sentence is said by an old couple who cannot have children anymore, and they’re saying this while they’re looking at a young man.
My question is, can the verbal construction “were to have had” be replaced by the past perfect (“if we had had a child, I like to imagine…)? Or would the meaning change?
Hello Teresa R.,
Yes, it is perfectly fine to use the past perfect here. In fact, it is much more commonly used than the form you read in the book, which is more formal.
There is no difference in meaning. The only difference is that the form you read is more formal and more tentative, which could be significant in showing something about the characters who said it. But it refers to exactly the same idea of their hypothetical child.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi everyone. Which should I say?
Will it be all right if bring a friend?
Would it all right if brought a friend?