English Conditionals

Conditionals usually have two parts:

1. The “if” clause (the condition)

2. The main clause (the result of that condition)

For example:

If I’d repaired my car, I wouldn’t have broken down on the highway.

“If I’d repaired my car” is the condition, and “I wouldn’t have broken down on the highway” is the result of that condition.

Depending on the type (zero, first, second, third or mixed), conditionals describe facts, future possibilities, hypothetical scenarios or events that could have happened differently in the past. Let’s go over each of these types of conditionals and how to use them.

Zero Conditional: For General Truths

Zero conditionals are used to express general truths, scientific facts or situations that are always true. Here is the structure:

If + [present simple], … [present simple]

For example:

If water reaches 100°C, it boils.
(This is a scientific fact that is always true.)

Here are a few more examples:

If you mix red and blue, you get purple.

If you press this button, the alarm sounds.

If my dog hears the doorbell, he barks.

First Conditional: For Real or Possible Situations in the Future

First conditionals are used to talk about possible situations in the future and their likely results. Their structure is:

If + [present simple], … will + [base verb]

For example:

If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.
(There’s a real chance it will rain tomorrow.)

Here are some more examples:

If you study hard, you will pass the exam.

If she misses the bus, she will be late for work.

If I see him, I will tell him the news.

Second Conditional: For Hypothetical or Unlikely Situations

Second conditionals are used to talk about unreal, hypothetical or unlikely situations, often in the present or future. The structure is:

If + [past simple], … would + [base verb]

For example:

If I had a million dollars, I would travel the world.
(I don’t have a million dollars; it’s a hypothetical situation.)

Here are some more examples:

If it snowed in July, I would be surprised.

If I had time tomorrow, I’d visit my old language school.

This structure differs slightly when using the verb “to be” in the “if” clause. In second conditionals, the verb “were” is used for all subjects. For example:

If he were here, he would help us with the project.

If I were more outgoing, I would have more friends.

However, you will likely hear native speakers use “was” instead of “were,” especially in informal conversation.

Third Conditional: For Hypothetical Past Situations

Third conditionals are used to talk about imaginary situations in the past and their possible outcomes. Here is the structure:

If + [past perfect], … would have + [past participle]

For example:

If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.
(She didn’t study harder, so she didn’t pass; we’re imagining a different past.)

Here are some more examples:

If I had known about the party, I would have gone.

If they had left earlier, they wouldn’t have missed the train.

If you hadn’t come to Cambridge, we wouldn’t have met.

Mixed Conditionals

Sometimes, we can combine conditionals if the time of the condition and result are different. These are a mix between second and third conditionals. They can express the present result of an imaginary past condition. The structure for this is:

If + [past perfect], … would + [base verb]

For example:

If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.

If you had gone to bed earlier, you wouldn’t be so tired now.

We can also use mixed conditionals to describe a current reality that would have changed a past outcome. The structure for this is:

If + [past simple], … would have + [past participle]

For example:

If he were interested in the job, he would have applied for it.

If I were more organized, I would have finished the project on time.