THE CONDITIONALS

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the 'if clause'
and one in the 'main clause'):

 If + present simple, .... present simple.

This conditional is used when the result will always happen. So, if water reaches 100 degrees,
it always boils. It's a fact. I'm talking in general, not about one particular situation. The result of
the 'if clause' is always the main clause.

The 'if' in this conditional can usually be replaced by 'when' without changing the meaning.

For example: If water reaches 100 degrees, it boils. (It is always true, there can't be a different
result sometimes). If I eat peanuts, I am sick. (This is true only for me, maybe, not for
everyone, but it's still true that I'm sick every time I eat peanuts)

Here are some more examples:

 If people eat too much, they get fat.

 If you touch a fire, you get burned.

 People die if they don't eat.

 You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen.

 Snakes bite if they are scared

 If babies are hungry, they cry

The Zero Conditional Make zero conditionals: For example: (not / rain / the flowers / die) ____
If it doesn’t rain, the flowers die.

1. (I / wake up late / I / be late for work)

_______________________________________________________________

2. (my husband / cook / he / burn the food)

_______________________________________________________________

3. (Julie / not wear a hat / she / get sunstroke)

_______________________________________________________________

4. (children / not eat well / they / not be healthy)

_______________________________________________________________

5. (you / mix water and electricity / you / get a shock)

_______________________________________________________________

6. (people / eat / too many sweets / they / get fat)

_______________________________________________________________

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7. (you / smoke / you / get yellow fingers)
_______________________________________________________________

8. (children / play outside / they / not get overweight)

_______________________________________________________________

9. (you / heat ice / it / melt)

_______________________________________________________________

10. (I / speak to John / he / get annoyed)

_______________________________________________________________

For example: he / get a headache / he / use the computer too much ______He gets a
headache if he uses the computer too much.____________________

11. (I / feel good the next day / I / go to bed early)

_______________________________________________________________

12. (lots of people / come / Jenny / have a party)

_______________________________________________________________

13. (she / buy expensive clothes / she / go shopping)

_______________________________________________________________

14. (my daughter / pass her exams / she / work hard)

_______________________________________________________________

15. (David / be sick / he / drink milk)

_______________________________________________________________

16. (the river / freeze / it / be very cold)

_______________________________________________________________

17. (I / like to visit the museums / I / be in a new city)

_______________________________________________________________

18. (I / cycle to work / the weather / be fine)

_______________________________________________________________

19. (my flatmate / clean it really well / she / clean the house)
_______________________________________________________________

20. (everybody / be grumpy / it / rain a lot)

_______________________________________________________________

Answers: 1. If I wake up late, I’m late for work. 2. If my husband cooks, he burns the food. 3. If
Julie doesn’t wear a hat, she gets sunstroke. 4. If children don’t eat well, they aren’t healthy. 5.
If you mix water and electricity, you get a shock. 6. If people eat too many sweets, they get fat.
7. If you smoke, you get yellow fingers. 8. If children play outside, they don’t get overweight. 9.
If you heat ice, it melts. 10. If I speak to John, he gets annoyed. 11. I feel good the next day if I
go to bed early. 12. Lots of people come if Jenny has a party. 13. She buys expensive clothes if
she goes shopping. 14. My daughter passes her exams if she works hard. 15. David is sick if he
drinks milk. 16. The river freezes if it’s very cold. 17. I like to visit the museums if I am in a new
city. 18. I cycle to work if the weather is fine. 19. My flatmate cleans really well if she cleans
the house. 20. Everybody is grumpy if it rains a lot.

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The First Conditional

The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simplein the other clause:

 if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

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 it rains, I won't go to the park.

 If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.

 If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.

 She'll be late if the train is delayed.

 She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.

 If I see her, I'll tell her.

First vs. Zero Conditional:

The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero conditional describes

what happens in general.

For example (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get burned (here I'm talking about
every time a person sits in the sun - the burning is a natural consequence of the sitting)

But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned (here I'm talking about what will
happen today, another day might be different)

First vs. Second Conditional:

The first conditional describes things that I think are likely to happen in the future, whereas the
second conditional talks about things that I don't think will really happen. It's subjective; it
depends on my point of view.

For example (first conditional): If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam (I think it's possible
she will study harder and so she'll pass)

But (second conditional): If she studied harder, she would pass the exam (I think that she won't
study harder, or it's very unlikely, and so she won't pass)

First Conditional Exercise Put the verb into the correct first conditional form:

1. If I __________________ (go) out tonight, I __________________ (go) to the cinema.

2. If you __________________ (get) back late, I __________________ (be) angry.

3. If we __________________ (not / see) each other tomorrow, we __________________

(see) each other next week.

4. If he __________________ (come), I __________________ (be) surprised.

5. If we __________________ (wait) here, we __________________ (be) late.

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6. If we __________________ (go) on holiday this summer, we __________________ (go) to
Spain.

7. If the weather __________________ (not / improve), we __________________ (not / have)

a picnic.

8. If I __________________ (not / go) to bed early, I __________________ (be) tired

tomorrow.

9. If we __________________ (eat) all this cake, we __________________ (feel) sick.

10. If you __________________ (not / want) to go out, I __________________ (cook) dinner at

home.

11. I __________________ (come) early if you __________________ (want).

12. They __________________ (go) to the party if they __________________ (be) invited.

13. She __________________ (stay) in London if she __________________ (get) a job.

14. He __________________ (not / get) a better job if he __________________ (not / pass)

that exam.

15. I __________________ (buy) a new dress if I __________________ (have) enough money.

16. She __________________ (cook) dinner if you __________________ (go) to the
supermarket.

17. They __________________ (go) on holiday if they __________________ (have) time.

18. We __________________ (be) late if we __________________ (not / hurry).

19. She __________________ (take) a taxi if it __________________ (rain).

20. I __________________ (not / go) if you __________________ (not / come) with me.

First Conditional Answers

(‘ll = will, won’t = will not)
1. If I go out tonight, I'll go to the cinema.
2. If you get back late, I'll be angry.
3. If we don’t see each other tomorrow, we'll see each other next week.
4. If he comes, I'll be surprised.
5. If we wait here, we'll be late.
6. If we go on holiday this summer, we’ll go to Spain.
7. If the weather doesn’t improve, we won't have a picnic.
8. If I don’t go to bed early, I'll be tired tomorrow.
9. If we eat all this cake, we'll feel sick.
10. If you don’t want to go out, I'll cook dinner at home.
11. I’ll come early if you want.
12. They’ll go to the party if they are invited.
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13. She’ll stay in London if she gets a job.
14. He won’t get a better job if he doesn't pass that exam.
15. I’ll buy a new dress if I have enough money.
16. She’ll cook dinner if you go to the supermarket.
17. They’ll go on holiday if they have time.
18. We’ll be late if we don't hurry.
19. She’ll take a taxi if it rains.
20. I won’t go if you don't come with me.

The Second Conditional

The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive:

 if + past simple, ...would + infinitive

(We can use 'were' instead of 'was' with 'I' and 'he/she/it'. This is mostly done in formal
writing).

It has two uses.

First, we can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true.
Maybe I'm imagining some dream for example.

 If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.(I probably won't win the lottery)

 If I met the Queen of England, I would say hello.

 She would travel all over the world if she were rich.

 She would pass the exam if she ever studied.(She never studies, so this won't happen)

Second, we can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because it's
not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:

 If I had his number, I would call him. (I don't have his number now, so it's impossible
for me to call him).

 If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man.

How is this different from the first conditional?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is a lot
more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with twenty
bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much money, it's just a
dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much more likely
that I'll have enough money to buy some shoes)

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Second Conditionals - put the verb into the correct tense:

1. If I _________________ (be) you, I _________________ (get) a new job.

2. If he _________________ (be) younger, he _________________ (travel) more.

3. If we _________________ (not / be) friends, I _________________ (be) angry with you.

4. If I _________________ (have) enough money, I _________________ (buy) a big house.

5. If she _________________ (not / be) always so late, she _________________ (be)

promoted.

6. If we _________________ (win) the lottery, we _________________ (travel) the world.

7. If you _________________ (have) a better job, we _________________ (be) able to buy a

new car

8. If I _________________ (speak) perfect English, I _________________ (have) a good job.

9. If we _________________ (live) in Mexico, I _________________ (speak) Spanish.

10. If she _________________ (pass) the exam, she _________________ (be) able to enter

11. She _________________ (be) happier if she _________________ (have) more friends.

12. We _________________ (buy) a house if we _________________ (decide) to stay here.

13. They _________________ (have) more money if they _________________ (not / buy) so
many clothes

14. We _________________ (come) to dinner if we _________________ (have) time. 15. She

_________________ (call) him if she _________________ (know) his number.

16. They _________________ (go) to Spain on holiday if they _______________ (like) hot
weather.

17. She _________________ (pass) the exam if she _________________ (study) more.

18. I _________________ (marry) someone famous if I _________________ (be) a movie star.

19. We never _________________ (be) late again if we _________________ (buy) a new car.

20. You _________________ (lose) weight if you _________________ (eat) less.

Second Conditional Exercise Answers (remember: you can write would or ‘d):

1. If I were you, I would get a new job.

2. If he were younger, he would travel more.

3. If we weren’t friends, I would be angry with you.

4. If I had enough money, I would buy a big house.

5. If she weren’t always so late, she would be promoted.

6. If we won the lottery, we would travel the world.

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7. If you had a better job, we would be able to buy a new car

8. If I spoke perfect English, I would have a good job.

9. If we lived in Mexico, I would speak Spanish.

10. If she passed the exam, she would be able to enter university.

11. She would be happier if she had more friends.

12. We would buy a house if we decided to stay here.

13. They would have more money if they didn't buy so many clothes

14. We would come to dinner if we had time.

15. She would call him if she knew his number.

16. They would go to Spain on holiday if they liked hot weather.

17. She would pass the exam if she studied more.

18. I would marry someone famous if I were a movie star.

19. We would never be late again if we bought a new car.

20. You would lose weight if you ate less.

The Third Conditional

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

It talks about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the
result of this situation.

 If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know she didn't
study and so she didn't pass)

 If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel
sick).

 If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane

 She wouldn't have been tired if she had gone to bed earlier

 She would have become a teacher if she had gone to university

 He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine

Third Conditional. Put in the correct third conditional verb form:

1. If you ______________ (not / be) late, we ______________ (not / miss) the bus.

2. If she ______________ (study), she ______________ (pass) the exam.

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3. If we ______________ (arrive) earlier, we ______________ (see) John.

4. If they ______________ (go) to bed early, they ______________ (not / wake) up late.

5. If he ______________ (become) a musician, he ______________ (record) a CD.

6. If she ______________ (go) to art school, she ______________ (become) a painter.

7. If I ______________ (be) born in a different country, I ______________ (learn) to speak a

different language.

8. If she ______________ (go) to university, she ______________ (study) French.

9. If we ______________ (not / go) to the party, we ______________ (not / meet) them.

10. If he ______________ (take) the job, he ______________ (not / go) travelling.

11. He ______________ (be) happier if he ______________ (stay) at home.

12. She ______________ (pass) the exam if she ______________ (study) harder.

13. We ______________ (not / get) married if we ______________ (not / go) to the same
university.

14. They ______________ (be) late if they ______________ (not / take) a taxi.

15. She ______________ (not / meet) him if she ______________ (not / come) to London.

16. He ______________ (take) a taxi if he ______________ (have) enough money.

17. I ______________ (call) you if I ______________ (not / forget) my phone.

18. We ______________ (come) if we ______________ (be) invited.

19. She ______________ (not / do) it if she ______________ (know) you were ill.

20. He ______________ (be) on time if he ______________ (leave) earlier.

Third Conditional Answers (remember you can use had or ‘d AND would or ‘d):

1. If you hadn’t been late, we wouldn't have missed the bus.

2. If she had studied, she would have passed the exam.

3. If we had arrived earlier, we would have seen John.

4. If they had gone to bed early, they wouldn't have woken up late.

5. If he had become a musician, he would have recorded a CD.

6. If she had gone to art school, she would have become a painter.

7. If I had been born in a different country, I would have learnt to speak a

different language.

8. If she had gone to university, she would have studied French.

9. If we hadn’t gone to the party, we wouldn't have met them.

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10. If he had taken the job, he wouldn't have gone travelling.

11. He would have been happier if he had stayed at home.

12. She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.

13. We wouldn’t have got married if we hadn't gone to the same university.

14. They would have been late if they hadn't taken a taxi.

15. She wouldn’t have met him if she hadn't come to London.

16. He would have taken a taxi if he had had enough money.

17. I would have called you if I hadn't forgotten my phone.

18. We would have come if we had been invited.

19. She wouldn’t have done it if she had known you were ill.

20. He would have been on time if he had left earlier.

Finish the sentences with a clause in the correct conditional:

1: If it is sunny tomorrow _______________________________________________

2: If you sit in the sun too long __________________________________________

3: If I were you _______________________________________________________

4: If I were the Prime Minister ___________________________________________

5: If she had studied harder _____________________________________________

6: If I won the lottery __________________________________________________

7: If I hadn’t gone to bed so late _________________________________________

8: If I hadn’t come to London ___________________________________________

9: If you mix water and electricity ________________________________________

10: If she hadn’t stayed at home __________________________________________

11: If I go out tonight___________________________________________________

12: If I were on holiday today ____________________________________________

13: If I had listened to my mother _________________________________________

14: If I hadn’t eaten so much _____________________________________________

15: If it rains later ______________________________________________________

16: If I were British ____________________________________________________

17: If I were the opposite sex ____________________________________________

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18: If I have enough money ______________________________________________

19: If you don’t wear a coat in the winter ___________________________________

20: If I weren’t studying English __________________________________________

Possible answers (check your answer is in the same tense):

1: If it is sunny tomorrow, we'll go to the park.

2: If you sit in the sun too long , you get burned.

3: If I were you, I would go out tonight.

4: If I were the Prime Minister, I would make the museums free.

5: If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.

6: If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.

7: If I hadn’t gone to bed so late, I wouldn't have been tired.

8: If I hadn’t come to London, I would have gone to New York.

9: If you mix water and electricity, you get a shock.

10: If she hadn’t stayed at home, she would have gone shopping.

11: If I go out tonight, I'll go to the cinema.

12: If I were on holiday today, I would go to the beach.

13: If I had listened to my mother, I wouldn't have caught a cold.

14: If I hadn’t eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick.

15: If it rains later, I won't go out.

16: If I were British, I would speak perfect English.

17: If I were the opposite sex, I would grow a beard.

18: If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.

19: If you don’t wear a coat in the winter, you get sick.

20: If I weren’t studying English, I would study French.

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