Conditionals

What are conditionals?

Conditionals are sentences with if that talk about:

• real situations

• possible future situations

• imaginary or unreal situations

Structure:  If + condition, result

Zero Conditional (Facts & routines)

Use: things that are always true

Form:
If / When + present simple, present simple

Examples:

• If you heat ice, it melts.

• If I am tired, I drink coffee.

Activity (fill in the blank):

1. If it _____ (rain), the ground gets wet.

2. If you _____ (mix) red and blue, you get purple.

Answers: rains, mix

First Conditional (Real future possibility)

Use: real and possible future situations

Form:
If + present simple, will + base verb

Examples:

• If it rains, I will stay home.

• If she studies, she will pass the test.

Common mistake:
❌ If it will rain…
✅ If it rains…

Pair speaking activity:

• If I finish work early, I will…

• If it’s sunny tomorrow, I will…

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Second Conditional (Unreal or imaginary present/future)

Use: imaginary, unlikely, or impossible situations

Form:
If + past simple, would + base verb

Examples:

• If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.

• If I were rich, I would buy a big house.

Note:
👉 “If I were…” is correct for all subjects in formal English.

Choose the correct answer:

1. If I ___ more time, I would help you.
   a) have
   b) had

Answer: b) had

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Third Conditional (Unreal past)

Use: imagining a different past

Form:
If + past perfect, would have + past participle

Examples:

• If I had studied, I would have passed.

• If we had left earlier, we wouldn’t have been late.

Timeline tip:
👉 Both parts are in the past, but imaginary.

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Mixed Conditional (optional – higher level)

Use: past condition → present result

Example:

• If I had studied harder, I would have a better job now.

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Quick Comparison Table

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Speaking Game: “What Would You Do?”

Students complete and explain:

• If I met a famous person, I would…

• If I were the teacher, I would…

• If I had been born in another country, I would have…

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Common ESL Problems to Watch For

• Using will in the if-clause ❌

• Mixing tenses ❌

• Forgetting would / would have ❌

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