Understanding Conditionals: Real and Imaginary Situations
Conditionals help us express relationships between conditions and outcomes, whether real or imaginary. Explore the four types of conditionals and their usage:
Zero Conditional
The zero conditional is used for general truths or always true statements.
- IF CLAUSE: Present simple
- MAIN CLAUSE: Present simple
- If you heat water, it boils.
- If it's sunny, people go to the beach.
- If you don't eat, you get hungry.
First Conditional
The first conditional is used for real or possible future situations.
- IF CLAUSE: Present simple
- MAIN CLAUSE: WILL + Verb-bare
- If it rains, I will take an umbrella.
- If I study hard, I will pass the exam.
- If you come early, we will start the meeting.
Second Conditional
The second conditional is used for unreal or unlikely present or future situations.
- IF CLAUSE: Past simple
- MAIN CLAUSE: WOULD + Verb-bare
- If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.
- If I had more time, I would learn to play the guitar.
- If it stopped raining, we would go for a picnic.
Third Conditional
The third conditional is used for unreal or impossible past situations.
- IF CLAUSE: Past perfect
- MAIN CLAUSE: WOULD HAVE + Past participle
- If she had studied, she would have passed the exam.
- If we had arrived on time, we would have caught the train.
- If it hadn't rained, we would have gone for a walk.
Slides
Reach 100K+ monthly readers. Share your writings on Class with Mason. Submit Now!
Disclaimer: The content of this article/paper represents the sole opinions and viewpoints of the author and does not necessarily align with the editorial stance of Class with Mason