Conditionals

Conditionals

1. There are many different ways of making sentences with if . It is important to understand the difference between sentences that express real possibilities, and those that express unreal situations.

2. First conditional

   • First Conditional sentences express a possible condition and its probable result in the future.

3. Second Conditional

   • We use the Second Conditional to express an unreal situation and its probable result. The situation or condition is improbable, impossible, imaginary, or contrary to known facts.

4. First or Second Conditional?

   • Both conditionals refer to the present and future. The difference is about probability, not time. It is usually clear which conditional to use. First Conditional sentences are real and possible; Second Conditional sentences express situations that will probably never happen.

5. Zero Conditional

   • Zero Conditional sentences refer to ‘all time’, not just the present or future. They express a situation that is always true. If means when or whenever.

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