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 Fair_dz,
This conditional sentence describes an unlikely future situation - in other words, a situation which is possible but which the speaker does not think is likely. In some grammars the term 'second conditional' is used. The form is if + past > (then) could/would* + verb.
* other modal verbs are possible
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you for your answer, but after 'if' we have present (not past) "are observed" (passive form). Could you explain? Thanks.
Hello again Faiza_dz,
Your are correct, of course - my apologies for not reading the sentence more carefully.
Could can be used in the result clauses of both likely/possible and unlikely/impossible conditional sentences:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you. Then, it's the first conditional, isn't it?
Hello again Faiza_dz,
Yes, that's correct.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, hope you are fine. I need help regarding the following two sentences.
1. I will go swimming with you on Monday if I have recovered from this cold.
2. I will go swimming with you on Monday if I recover from this cold.
Could you please explain the meaning of IF I RECOVER AND IF I HAVE RECOVERED in these sentences. which of these two is right?
Thanks.
Hello MartialWhite,
In this context there is no real difference in meaning. If I recover describes the future act of becoming healthy; if I have recovered describes the future state of being healthy. It's really just two different ways of looking at the same situation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
For me, the correct sentence is the 1st conditional:
I will go swimming with you on Monday if I recover from this cold.
if (present simple), I will (verb)
Good luck
Hi,
I Have a question, what's the difference between:
I could have sat in the garden if it had not rained.
I would not have sat in the garden if it had rained.
I would not have been sitting in the garden if it had rained.
And
I would not sit in the garden when it rained.
I would not be sitting in the garden if it rained.
Hello Darelia_1325,
1, 2 and 3 are all third conditional sentences, which are explained on our Conditionals: third and mixed page. The phrase 'if it had (not) rained' refers to an imaginary past time, in other words, something that did not really happen -- it's just something we imagine.
The phrase 'when it rained' in 4 refers to the past. It is not a conditional. 'would' describes a habitual or repeated past action in this case. Another way of saying this is 'When it rained, I didn't sit in the garden' (referring to a past time in your life).
5 is a second conditional. It refers to an imaginary present or future time when it's raining and you are not in the garden. It could be used when you are sitting in the garden and it is not raining.
Hope this helps you make sense of these.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team