
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
Hi Naureen,
That sentence looks fine to me. Well done!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello everyday-nato,
The forms here are actually present subjunctive and past subjuntive. These are not the same as present and past tense.
We use the subjunctive to describe things that are not true but that we would like to be true or hope can be true (present subjunctive), and things which are not true and which we acknowledge may not become true (past subjunctive). The names (present and past) are misleading and do not refer to time but to form.
The present subjunctive form is the same as the base form of the verb; it does not change in the third person.
The past subjunctive form is the same as the past simple.
In your examples, you could use either form. The present subjunctive suggests that the speaker expects the other person to comply; the past subjunctive implicitly acknowledges that they may not, making it a more polite form as it is more tentative.
You can read more about the Englishs subjunctive here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive#Use_of_the_present_subjunctive
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Najmiii3579,
These sentences have slightly different meanings. Sentence 1 has the meaning of 'being willing to act', because it includes would. Sentence 2 is just about the action – whether the countries act or don't act. It doesn't say anything about their willingness.
For your second question, yes! You could use will instead of would. There's a slight difference in how the action is presented. If you use will, it's a real and possible consequence. If you use would, it frames the action (that would be all to the good) as hypothetical or imagined (not a real one).
Does that make sense?
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Najmiii3579,
Even though conditionals are usually taught as Type 1/2/3 structures, in real life speakers often mix these structures, especially in speaking. Was this sentence taken from real life language usage?
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello AkiraTa05,
Yes, you could say 'must' instead of 'will' there. 'must' can be used in this way to say we're pretty sure about something.
There are often exceptions to such rules, so I'm afraid I'm not willing to make a statement about a rule here. But in general I can think of situations in which 'might' and 'could' are possible. I can't think of one where 'would' would be correct, but perhaps in some very specific context it would work. 'would' is used quite often in second and mixed conditional structures.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again AkiraTa05,
I wouldn't say that 'might' expresses less certainty than 'may'; as I understand it, they express the same degree of certainty or uncertainty. 'might' and 'could' are used more often in speech than in writing, though this is not to say that people don't use 'may' when they speak or 'might' when the write.
In most cases, you could safely use any of the three forms to express this idea. By the way, you find detailed explanations of the main uses of these and the other modal verbs in the Modal verbs section of our English grammar.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Momy,
I assume you're talking about a particular situation rather than something that is typically true. In that case, we would say there is... will oversleep... will fail.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again Kim Hui-jeong
As I mentioned in response to your other comment below, this sentence speaks about a past situation, not an imaginary (conditional) situation. This means that if he was really outside our door, it was impossible for him not to have heard our conversation.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Kim Hui-jeong
These sentences are grammatically correct. Note that not all sentences with the word 'if' are conditionals. If we are not speaking about imaginary situations, we just use the normal verb tenses, i.e. the present tense to refer to the present, past tenses to refer to the past, etc. That seems to be the case in the second sentence here -- it means that since he saw her playing games, he must have seen her lying in her bed.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello khalid ibrahim,
As you say, we generally use a modal verb in the main clause of real/likely future conditional sentences. Typically, this is will:
However, other modal verbs than will can be used:
Your second sentence is an example of this. You could use a different modal verb in place of can, such as may.
Your first example is a little different. There are some verbs which describe our beliefs about the future which can be used in this way. We use a present form because we are describing our present views on a situation, not the result of a condition. Verbs used commonly in this way include want, expect, hope, fear and believe:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello patph0510,
The answer to your question is on the page above. Look at the explanations for zero and first conditionals and apply them to your examples. This should answer your question for you.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ira92,
The sentence is not entirely grammatical. You need to add an object after believe:
However, the sentence is still not correct in terms of standard grammar. The form is [if + past simple > (then) would verb], sometimes called a second conditional. This is used to talk about unlikely or impossible (unreal) situations in the present or future. However, this sentence refers to an unreal past as it contains the phrase a week ago. This is inconsistent. To make the sentence consistent you should use a past perfect in the first clause:
The second clause is fine as it describes an unreal present result of that unreal past situation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Remember
The first sentence is a correct zero conditional statement; the second is not correct. But you could make a first conditional ('People will get upset if I let them down') or second conditional ('People would get upset if I let them down') by changing the verb forms.
Note that the past simple of the verb 'let' is 'let', i.e. it doesn't change form in the past simple.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lobna Tarek,
Not all conditional sentences contain modal verbs. So-called zero conditionals contain normal finite (present) verbs in each clause, for example.
I don't think your first example is a well-formed sentence. We would use either unless or if to form the sentence rather than as long as:
The result clause here describes a present emotional state rather than a future action. You can contrast it with this:
In your second example can probably describes specific ability in the future, though you could have a context in which it describes a general truth - something which is always possible because of the way the house or flat is organised, rather than being a particular situation on a particular day.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Mouha++,
Both sentences are grammatically correct. Note that these are examples of subject questions in which the question word (what) is the subject of the verb. You could also make object questions:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Deviljin
Both of those are grammatically correct. The exact meaning depends on the context, as the continuous aspect (here 'are going' is continuous) can express many different meanings. If you follow the link, you'll see some examples.
Your friend is right in thinking that many different tenses are possible with 'if', but I'm not sure I'd say any tense works anywhere. If you have any other specific sentences you want to ask about, please feel free.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Swati,
As long as performs a similar function to if in this structure, and it is followed by a present form, just as in the if-clause of a first conditional. If you want to use a modal verb like will then it should be in the other clause:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lal
Yes, both are correct (well done!) and they mean the same thing.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello adawl
Yes, that is correct. You can say 'were' with any pronoun and 'was' with 'I', 'he', 'she' or 'it'.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again Gloria
Yes, you can use other ways of speaking about the future or possible actions in the second clause -- your clauses with 'will definitely', 'will most likely', 'maybe I will', 'I am going to visit' and 'I may visit' are all correct.
It would perhaps be a little unusual to use the present simple for a timetabled event or the present continuous for an arranged event (since presumably we don't make arrangements for events we aren't sure we can perform), but it is certainly possible to use them if they accurately reflect what you mean.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team