To read the article on the 0 and 1st conditionals in English please click on this link.
Conditionals
What are conditionals?
Conditionals are sentences that usually begin with ‘IF’.
We use them to talk about different possibilities ‘IF’ something happens or happened.
There are 4 main types of conditionals in English, as well as the mixed conditionals. These 4 types are the:
0 conditional
1st conditional
2nd conditional
and
3rd conditional
The 0 conditional is for something which is always true.
The first conditional is for something which is either likely or possible.
The second conditional is for something which unlikely or impossible.
The third conditional is for something which is for something impossible, because it’s about the past.
Look at this arrow of probability.
Can you see how conditionals go with this arrow?
0, 1st, 2nd and 3rd are all related to their level of probability, with 0 being always true all the way to 3rd which is totally impossible.
Each conditional has two parts.
These parts are called ‘clauses’
A clause is a part of a sentence.
The two clauses in each conditional are the ‘IF’ clause and the ‘MAIN’ clause.
The first conditional
The first conditional is the most important conditional in the English language because it’s the one you need for real everyday life and to discuss possibilities.
It is used to talk about real possibilities or situations.
The structure is, IF + PRESENT + FUTURE
Example:
‘If it is sunny tomorrow, I will go out.”
The ‘is’ is present tense, ‘will go‘ is future tense.
“If I have enough money, I will buy the shirt.”
“have is present tense, “will buy” is future tense.
“If I see the teacher this afternoon, I will give him the homework”.
‘See’ is present tense, ‘will give’ is future tense.
Remember we can also swap the clauses, so we can say:
“If is sunny tomorrow, I will go out.”
or
“I will go out, if it is sunny tomorrow.”
“If I have enough money, I will buy the shirt.”
or
“I will buy the shirt, if I have enough money.”
We can also use the 1st conditional with modal verbs.
So, for example, if + present + MODAL verb.
“If it is sunny tomorrow, I may go out.”
“If it is sunny tomorrow, I might go out.”
May and might are both modal verbs.
We can also use the 1st conditional with imperative verbs.
So, for example, if + present + IMPERATIVE verb.
“If you go to the shop, buy me a sandwich please.”
buy is an imperative verb.
“If you see Peter, give him the book.”
‘Give’ is an imperative verb.
The second conditional
We use the second conditional to talk about something which is very unlikely or impossible to happen. We often use it for things which are imaginary or hypothetical.
The structure is: IF + PAST TENSE + WOULD & verb.
For example, “If I met Brad Pitt, I would ask him questions.”
It is possible to meet Brad Pitt but very unlikely.
In the if clause “met” is in the past simple tense, and in the main clause there is “would ask” that is would & verb.
IMPOSSIBLE 2nd CONDITIONALS
Now an example of something which is not unlikely but actually impossible.
“If I had wings like a bird, I would fly to Brazil.”
This is impossible and totally imaginary.
“had” wings is in the past simple tense and, “would fly” is would & verb.
Some more examples.
“If I had $50 million, I would build a super-big hospital to help people.”
“If I could be an animal, I would like to be a cat.”
You can also swap these clauses.
So you can say.
“If I had $50 million, I would build a super-big hospital to help people.”
or
” I would build a super-big hospital to help people, if I had $50 million ”
or
“If I could be an animal, I would like to be a cat.”
or
” I would like to be a cat, “If I could be an animal”
We can also replace “would” with “could” so we can say.
“If I had millions of dollars, I could buy many houses.”
or
“If I spoke English very well, I could get a good job.”
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND CONDITIONALS
- The 1st conditional is used for real life situations and actual possibilities, the 2nd conditional is for imaginary situations.
- The 1st conditional structure is: If + present simple + future but the 2nd conditional is: ‘If + past simple + would & verb’.
You can also watch this video for more information.
Thanks for the explanation. It is very useful.
Could you also make a post about using ‘ be to+verb ‘ in conditional sentences?
Hi Carol, you are welcome.
Before we make the post about ‘be to + verb’ in conditional sentences. Could you please be more specific and perhaps even provide
some examples of what you are referring to?
Thanks in advance.
Like this sentence :
If society were to collapse, these people are well prepared.
Traditional ESL (English as a Second Language) grammar books often offer a very simplified presentation of grammar with nuances, exceptions and certain intricacies removed. This is especially more so if the particular ESL book in question is targeted for lower level students such as pre-intermediate or intermediate.
To give an example. In lower level books the first conditional might be presented as having the sentence structure:
If + present + future e.g. ‘If I have the money, I will buy it’.
However they would not mention that the first conditional can also have this structure:
If + present + imperative e.g. ‘If you have the money, buy it for me please.’ In this sentence ‘buy’ is the imperative.
So in this vein grammar books simplify conditionals in to fitting in to the four main categories of:
0
1st
2nd
3rd
and they then declare that anything else simply falls in to ‘mixed’.
Thus the example you have provided would simply be categorised as ‘mixed’ including by most ESL teachers you might meet.
That would be the simple answer and it would be correct, and certainly not wrong.
In regards to ‘If + be to’ which you have asked about, we can sometimes see ‘were’ being used and this implies a degree of ‘hypotheticality’ and is a ‘counterfactual conditional’.
What most ESL grammar books do not explain to their non-native English readers is that conditionals can also be divided in to:
1. ‘indicative’, meaning the if clause *COULD* be true.
2. ‘Counterfactual’, meaning the speaker knows the if clause is not true and is not a fact so is therefore non-factual or ‘counterfactual’.
An indicative sentence would be:
‘If he has the money, he might buy the book.’
This means that it is possible the person, ‘he’, could have the money.
A counterfactual sentence would be:
‘If he had the money, he could buy the book.’
This means the speaker knows that the person, ‘he’, did not or does not have the money.
In relation to your specific exampe, it might be classified by some as a ‘present counterfactual sentence.
Also using the ‘were to’ also gives off a slightly more literary, formal feel to the sentence. Here are some more examples.
1. ‘If I were to have known this, I would never have asked him’
2. ‘If society were to collapse, then he is ready’ (present hypothetical consequence)
3. ‘If society were to collapse, then he would be ready’
(same meaning as the second example but using the modal ‘would’ instead)
4. ‘If I were to be given this prize, I would be happy’.
This type of sentence is quite formal and slightly middle class and might be considered a bit unusual amongst more working class people if used in spoken conversation unless it were in the context of a formal speech.
Thanks for your explanation.