ALL CONDITIONALS
and future time clauses
to talk about hypothetical, real,
possible,improbable,impossible,
regretful etc …. situations
If …………… (and their consequences)
Remember …
• You can invert the two clauses in all
conditionals:
If I were you, I’d stop smoking.
I’d stop smoking, If I were you.
If not = unless
Different types of conditionals
1) zero conditional
2) First conditional
3) Second conditional
4) Third conditional
3) Mixed conditional
Zero conditional: Form
• If + present simple, and present simple
• You can also use present continuous or
present perfect in either clause.
• Eg. If you haven’t been to London, you
haven’t lived.
ZERO conditional
• Water boils when it reaches 100°C.
• If/when prices go down, sales increase
if+Present simple + present simpe
• If people have travelled a lot in life, they have lived!
If+Present perfect + present perfect
• If/when people have been working all day, we don’t
get good results.
If+Present perfect continuous + present simple
Zero Conditional is used:
• To talk about things that are generally true as
a result of something, things which always
happen.
• Scientific or biological facts.
• General causes and effects.
• In these kind of conditionals we use present
tenses (present simple, present continuous,
present perfect) in both clauses.
First Conditional
First clause /after if
Second clause
• If + Any present tense
(present simple/
continuous/perfect)
•
•
•
•
•
WILL/WON’T
Going to + infinitive
Future perfect
Future continuous
imperative
Examples (first conditional)
• If you don’t do more work, you’ll fail the exam.
• She won’t get into University unless she gets
good grades. (Unless = if not)
• If I haven’t come back by 1 o’clock start
without me.
• If you’re not going, I’m not going to go.
• If you send the file by 5 pm today, I’ll have the
report finished with my additions by 1 pm
tomorrow.
Future time clauses
• When you are talking about the future, use a
present tense after these expressions:
• Any Present tense: Present
simple/continuous/perfect.
–
–
–
–
–
–
As soon as
When
Until
Unless
Before/after
In case
Future time clauses
• I’ll be ready as soon as I’ve fished this survey.
• We’ll probabbly be interviewing more
candidates when you arrive.
• We are not going to start until you have
arrived/you arrive
• I’m not going to work overtime unless I get
paid.
• Take an umbrella in case it rains.
In case/if
• We use in case when we do something in order to
be ready for future situations/problems.
• Compare:
I’ll accept the job offer If it’s well paid.
= I won’t accept the job offer if it’s not well paid.
I’ll accept the job in case I don’t get any other
offers.
= I will accept anyway, because there might not be
any other offers.
Second Conditional
• Would/wouldn’t +VERB
(without to)
If + PAST SIMPLE
Or
If + PAST CONTINUOUS
• Might/might not
(without to)
• Could/couldn’t
(without to)
When do you use the 2° Conditional?
• Use the second conditional to talk about
hypothetical/imaginary or improbable situations in
the present or future and their consequences.
• Also to give advice:
eg: If I were you, I’d get the earlier flight.
• NOTE when you give advice:
With the verb Be you use were for I/he/she and
it in the if clause.
eg: If he/I were here, he/I’d know what to do.
Compare 1° and 2° Conditional
• If I have time, I’ll help you.
= a possible situation. I may have time.
• If I had time, I’d help you.
= an imaginary/hypothetical situation.
I don’t/won’t have time.
Remember here: I’d = I would
Third CONDITIONAL
• Past prefect Simple
or
• Past Perfect
Continuous
+
• Would (not) + have +
past participle
• Might (not) + have +
past participle
• Could (not) + have +
past participle
• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have done
better in your exams.
• Eg: If you had worked harder, you wouldn’t have
been dismissed.
• Eg: if you had been driving more slowly you
wouldn’t have got stopped by the police.
• To talk about a hypothetical past situation and
its consequence.
• Used to express the wish to change a past action
or situation.
• Often used to express regret.
Compare 2° and 3° conditionals
• Eg: If you studied more, you would do better in
your exams.
• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have
done better in your exams.
• Eg: If you studied more, you would do better in
your exams.
= you don’t study enough. But if you did
things would be different.
• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have done
better in your exams.
= you didn’t study enough, so you failed. You imagine
how things could have been different in the past.
Mixed Conditional (2° + 3°)
• If + Past perfect Simple
• Would/would’t + VERB
• If + Past perfect
Continuous
• Might/might not + VERB
• Could/couldn’t + VERB
Mixed Conditional (2° + 3°)
• If I had bought shares in that company, I
would be rich now.
• The mixed conditional here is used to express
regret about the present situation, because of
a past action.
The hypothetical situation in the past has a
present/future consequence. (not past)
Which conditional?
When….
• Wishing to change the past
• A real possibility
• To hypothesise about an imaginary improbable situation in
the present or future
• General cause and effect
• A specific cause and effect
• A remote/unlikely possibility
• Scientific facts or gereral truths
• To give advice
• Cause and effect in past
• You imagine a past action with a result in present/future
Which conditional?
When….
• Wishing to change the past – 3° cond
• A real possibility – 1° cond
• To hypothesise about an imaginary improbable situation in
present or future – 2° cond
• General cause and effect – zero cond
• A specific cause and effect - 1° cond
• A remote/unlikely possibility 2° cond
• Scientific facts or gereral truths - zero cond
• To give advice - 2° cond
• Cause and effect in past – 3° cond
• You imagine a past action with a result in present: mixed
cond
Complete sentences with the appropriate
conditional form
1.
2.
It’ll be quicker if we …….. a taxi to the airport. (get)
If the company stopped advertising online it ……. (have) higher operating
costs.
3. I think he’d be happier if he …..(not live) alone.
4. The managing director wouldn’t have fired so many of his employees if
they …….. (relocate) earlier.
5. We don’t start if all the students ……..(talk)
6. I’ll be very surprised if Maria ….(not get) the job that was advertised
here last week.
7. If you cross an international date line, the time…..(change).
8. If the entrepreneur hadn’t taken so many risks, the company ……….(not
close down).
9. All the goods would have sold out If we ……….. (drop) the prices a little.
10. If I ……… (pass) all my exams I would be working by now.
11. If I ………(to be) you, I’d leave it until tomorrow.
KEY
1.
2.
It’ll be quicker if we get a taxi to the airport.
If the company stopped advertising online, it would have higher
operating costs.
3. I think he’d be happier, if he didn’t live alone.
4. The managing director wouldn’t have fired many of his employees if they
had relocated earlier.
5. We don’t start if all the students are talking.
6. I’ll be very surprised if Maria doesn’t get the job that was advertised
here last week.
7. If you cross an international date line, the time changes.
8. If the entrepreneur hadn’t taken so many risks, the company wouldn’t
have closed down.
9. All the goods would have sold out, If we had dropped the prices a little.
10. If I had passed all my exams, I would be working by now. (mixed cond)
11. If I were you, I’d leave it until tomorrow.