Unit 10. First and Second Conditionals .ING

Unit 10. First and Second Conditionals

1. First conditional

We use the first conditional in English to describe those actions that we consider to be possible in the future.

1.1. Uses

The first conditional has two parts: the one with the condition and the one with the result. The part with the condition is introduced by ‘if’ followed by the present simple. The part with the result is formed by subject + will + infinitive. Let’s see some examples:

• If I study hard, I will pass my English exam.

• If you go to bed early, you won’t be tired tomorrow morning.

Notice that there is always a comma between the condition and the result. However, if we place the result in the first place and then the condition, we must remove the comma.

• I will pass my English exam if I study hard.

• You won’t be tired tomorrow morning if you go to bed early.

1.2. Rules

Activity 1

Complete with the correct form of the verbs to make first conditional sentences.

1. If you … (take care) of your dog, it’ll always love you very much.

2. If someone … (want) to be the President of the USA, they will get it if they work hard enough and get the sufficient supports.

3. You will … (be) stronger if you … (work out).

4. If you … (read) frequently, you … (improve) your spelling.

5. You … (learn) to sing better if you … (join) a singing school.

6. You … (not understand) the film if you … (miss) the beginning.

Activity 2

Correct the following sentences so that they are correct for the first conditional.

1. If my car will break down, I will buy a new one.

2. If my friends won’t call me, I won’t call them.

3. If you won’t do extra hours, you won’t make ends meet.

4. You will get lost if you won’t know how to read a map.

5. If it won’t stop raining, the sewers will smell bad.

Practice: First conditional

Activity 1

Complete with the correct form of the verbs to make first conditional sentences.

1. If you take care (take care) of your dog, it’ll always love you very much.

2. If someone wants (want) to be the President of the USA, they will get it if they work hard enough and get the sufficient supports.

3. You will be (be) stronger if you work out (work out).

4. If you read (read) frequently, you will improve (improve) your spelling.

5. You will learn (learn) to sing better if you join (join) a singing school.

6. You will not understand (not understand) the film if you miss (miss) the beginning.

Activity 2

Correct the following sentences so that they are correct for the first conditional.

1. If my car breaks down, I will buy a new one.

2. If my friends don’t call me, I won’t call them.

3. If you don’t do extra hours, you won’t make ends meet.

4. You will get lost if you don’t know how to read a map.

5. If it doesn’t stop raining, the sewers will smell bad.

Unit 10 Key

2. Second conditional

We use the second conditional in English to describe those actions that we consider to be improbable (though possible), unreal or hypothetical.

2.1. Uses

The second conditional has two parts: the one with the condition and the one with the result. The part with the condition is introduced by ‘if’ followed by the past simple. In Spanish we use the imperfect of subjunctive, but this doesn’t exist in English, so to express the hypothesis we use the past simple tense.

The part with the result is formed by subject + would + infinitive. Let’s see some examples:

• If you won the lottery, would you travel around the world?

• If I were rich, I would work less.

Notice that there is always a comma between the condition and the result. However, if we place the result in the first place and then the condition, we must remove the comma.

• Would you travel around the world if you won the lottery?

• I would work less if I were rich.

Also notice that we have said ‘if I WERE rich’ instead of ‘if I WAS rich’. This is because in the case of second conditional sentences, we have to use the form ‘were’ of the verb TO BE regardless of the person we’re using.

2.2. Rules

Activity 3

Complete with the correct form of the verbs to make second conditional sentences.

1. I … (have) another dog if my house … (be) bigger.

2. My sister … (be) more motivated at work if her bosses … (be) nicer.

3. I ... (sunbathe) if I … (live) near the beach.

4. My mother … (come) and visit me if we … (be) on lockdown.

5. I … (play) the guitar better if I … (have) time to learn.

6. … you … (quit) your job if I … (offer) you to work for me

Activity 4

Correct the sentences so that they are correct for the second conditional

1. I would have a coffee if I would have milk.

2. I would go on a cruise if I would be rich.

3. If I could go back to study I chose another degree.

4. My house would be cleaner if my family would help.

Practice: Second conditional

Activity 3

Complete with the correct form of the verbs to make second conditional sentences.

1. I would have (have) another dog if my house were (be) bigger.

2. My sister would be (be) more motivated at work if her bosses were (be) nicer.

3. I would sunbathe (sunbathe) if I lived (live) near the beach.

4. My mother would come (come) and visit me if we weren’t (be) on lockdown.

5. I would play (play) the guitar better if I had (have) time to learn.

6. Would you quit (quit) your job if I offered (offer) you to work for me?

Activity 4

Correct the sentences so that they are correct for the second conditional

1. I would have a coffee if I had milk.

2. I would go on a cruise if I were rich.

3. If I could go back to study I would choose another degree.

4. My house would be cleaner if my family helped.

Unit 10 Key

1. I would read your book if I … so much work.

a) Have

b) Had

c) Didn’t have

d) Didn’t had

2. I … to class if you don’t come with me.

a) Won’t go

b) Go

c) Will go

d) goes

3. If you water the plants, they … (die).

a) would

b) will

c) wouldn’t

d) won’t

4. Will you marry me if I … (propose)?

a) Proposed

b) Propose

c) Proposing

d) Is propose

5. Will you go to the cinema if you … (go) out tonight?

a) went

b) goes

c) going

d) go

6. If my son …, he won’t go on holiday.

a) Don’t study

b) Doesn’t study

c) Studies

d) Study

7. I … more friends if I lived in another neighbourhood.

a) Had

b) Would had

c) Would have

d) have

8. I … (go) to the party if you didn’t come with me:

a) go

b) wouldn’t go

c) won’t go

d) went

9. If she … (pass) her exams, she would also go to university:

a) passed

b) passes

c) passing

d) pass

10. If we lived in Germany, we would … (speak) German:

a) spoke

b) speak

c) speaking

d) speaks

Evaluation test

Evaluation test

What will you learn?

• To talk about possible situations in the future.

• To describe improbable or hypothetical situations in the future.

Did you know that…

• The subjunctive doesn’t exist in English and we have to use alternative forms to talk about hypotheses.

• All conditional sentences have two parts and their order is interchangeable.

Resources and links

• First Conditional exercise 1

• Second Conditional exercise 1

• Conditionals – 1st and 2nd

Video: First and Second Conditional

1. I would read your book if I … so much work.

a) Have

b) Had

c) Didn’t have

d) Didn’t had

2. I … to class if you don’t come with me.

a) Won’t go

b) Go

c) Will go

d) goes

3. If you water the plants, they … (die).

a) would

b) will

c) wouldn’t

d) won’t

4. Will you marry me if I … (propose)?

a) Proposed

b) Propose

c) Proposing

d) Is propose

5. Will you go to the cinema if you … (go) out tonight?

a) went

b) goes

c) going

d) go

6. If my son …, he won’t go on holiday.

a) Don’t study

b) Doesn’t study

c) Studies

d) Study

7. I … more friends if I lived in another neighbourhood.

a) Had

b) Would had

c) Would have

d) have

8. I … (go) to the party if you didn’t come with me:

a) go

b) wouldn’t go

c) won’t go

d) went

9. If she … (pass) her exams, she would also go to university:

a) passed

b) passes

c) passing

d) pass

10. If we lived in Germany, we would … (speak) German:

a) spoke

b) speak

c) speaking

d) speaks