Conditionals review

Conditionals review

1. First conditional

   • It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true.
     • if + present simple, ... will + infinitive
       • If it rains, I won't go to the park. If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.

2. Zero conditional

   • We use the zero conditional when we want to talk about facts or things that are generally true. Scientific facts are often covered by the zero conditional: "When you heat ice, it melts." The zero conditional uses if or when and must be followed by the simple present or imperative.
     • If + present simple, .... present simple.
       • If people eat too much, they get fat. If you touch a fire, you get burned.

3. Second Conditional

   • When we are thinking about a situation in the present or future that is hypothetical, unlikely or impossible, we use:
     • If + Past Simple, ...Would + Verb
       • If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.
   • Third contidional
     • We make the third conditional by using the past perfect after 'if' and then 'would have' and the past participle in the second part of the sentence:
       • if + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle
         • If she had studied, she would have passed the exam
     • Mixed conditional
       • Mixed conditionals are conditionals where the tense in the main clause is different from the tense in the conditional-clause (also called if-clause).
         • If I were you, I would have bought the red dress.
           • If the students had more time, they would have finished their work yesterday.
           • Present + Past