Conditionals: zero, first and second

Do you know how to use the zero, first and second conditionals? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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: Conditionals 1: 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: Conditionals 1: Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

B1 Intermediate

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Hello Prerana.Peru,

'would' and 'could' are both very commonly used in second conditionals. 'could' is basically the verb 'can' in a conditional tense.

Yes, the sentence you ask about is grammatically correct.

We're happy to help you understand any other specific examples or questions you have -- please just make them as specific as possible. It's also helpful if you explain to us how you understand the sentences so that we can better see how to help you.

All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team

Hi!
Is it okay to use 'going to' to replace 'will' in conditional 1?
Or using 'will' is a must?

Hi mawski,

You can use a range of verb forms in place of 'will' - going to is one and so are other modals than will: might, may, should etc.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello,
I'd like to know how we can use "first conditional" when we are talking about a possible situation that happened in the past.
For example when I was at school my father said: "if you study hard, I will buy you a bicycle". This is conditional type 1.
Now when I'm going to tell this as a story to someone, how can I tell it?
Is it OK to say like this:
When I was a school student my father told me If you studied hard, I would buy you a bicycle? (This structure sounds like conditional type 2, but I know in reality it was type1.)

Hello Mary.888,

Yes, that's correct.

The conditional is formed first and then the rules of reported speech (verb backshifting) are applied, so 'study' becomes 'studied' and 'will buy' becomes 'would buy'.

Your analysis is good - well done.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi. Is it possible to say 'Life would be better when I do not health concerns'? Thanks.

Hi kyanlam,

Yes, if you add a verb: Life would be better when I do not have (any) health concerns.

If you consider this situation unlikely or unrealistic, you could say: Life would be better if I didn't have (any) health concerns. / Life would be better if I had no health concerns.

I hope that helps.

Jonathan

LearnEnglish team

Many thanks for the reply!

Yes, I want to say that not having any health concerns is a certainty, thus "Life would be better when I do not have health concerns".

Please let me know if there are any errors in the above sentence. Thank you once again!

Hello ethanlam,

That is possible, but it sounds a little strange to me. When you say this, do you currently have health concerns, or did you recently have them? If that's the case, I think a straight first conditional sentence like 'Life will be better when I have no health concerns' would express this idea better.