The conditionals

2º Bachillerato
 ¿Cómo se forma?

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IF CLAUSE (CONDITION/ACTION) MAIN CLAUSE (RESULT)
• A comma is used when the if clause comes first but is not used when the if clause
comes second in the sentence.

“If you need help, I will help you”

“ I will help you if you need help”
TYPES OF CONDITIONALS
 ZERO CONDITIONAL
STRUCTURE:

IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, + PRESENT TENSE

USE: Hechos científicos o verdades universales.

“If you heat water, it boils”.

“Metal gets hot if you heat it”.
 FIRST CONDITIONAL
IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, WILL/WON´T+ INFINITIVE (sin “to”)

USO: Situaciones probables, posibles o reales presentes o futuras. Futuro : Expresa

situaciones presentes que son posibles o probables futuras:
“If he gets good marks in maths, he will study engineering at university.
UNLESS (If…not): Se puede utilizar esta partícula para sustituir una oración de IF en
negativa.
*If you don´t study, you will not pass the exam.
*Unless you study, you will not pass the exam.
 SECOND CONDITIONAL
IF + PAST SIMPLE, WOULD + INFINITIVE (sin “to”)
USO: Situaciones hipotéticas o poco probables, consejos o situaciones hipotéticas
irreales.
• “If I were rich, I would buy an helicopter” (hypothesis)
• “If you were an Olympic swimmer, what would you eat? (imaginary situation)
• “If I were you, I would buy a book” (advice)
 THIRD CONDITIONAL
IF + PAST PERFECT, WOULD + HAVE+ PAST PARTICIPLE
USO: Hechos hipotéticos pasados, que no llegaron a producirse; el momento de la
condición ya ocurrió, por lo que la consecuencia o resultado es imposible.

• “If I had trained harder, I would have won the race”

• “If they had gone by bus, they would have arrived much later”
• “If Kevin hadn´t help us, we would never have finished in time”
 MIXED CONDITIONALS
1) When a change in a present situation would affect a past situation.
IF + PAST SIMPLE (2nd), Would/could+HAVE+ P. PARTCIPLE (3rd)
“If I weren´t so busy all the time, I could have come along”

2) When a change in a past situation would have caused a different present situation.
IF+PAST PERFECT (3rd), Would + INFINITIVE (2nd)
“If you had told me about the skiing trip, I would be there with you!”
“If I had passed all my exams, I´d be on the beach now”
ALTERNATIVES TO “If ”
 UNLESS = If…. Not

“Unless you save money, you won´t go on holiday this year”

“Unless attitudes change, women will continue to be paid less than men”
As long as/providing (that)/ provided (that)
= but only if…
(sólo en el First Conditional)
1. You can go out tonight as long as (but only if...) you finish your homework
2. She will go to university providing (but only if...) she can pay her fees.
3. He will work for them provided that (but only if...) they offer him more money than his
present Company.
 EVEN IF =
“A PESAR DE”, “INCLUSO”
USO:
Dar énfasis a la condición, expresando que el resultado en la oración principal sería el
mismo de todas las formas aunque se hubiera cumplido la condición.

“She wouldn´t have won the race even if she had trained harder”
Wish and Regret
If only.../I wish....
 Wish and Regret (deseo y arrepentimiento)
If only.../I wish....
USOS:
I wish/If only: Situaciones irreales, imposibles o poco probables.
If only enfatiza más que wish.

1.- Deseos en situaciones presentes: If only/I wish+sujeto+ Past S./Past. continuous

“I wish you were coming with me tonight”
2. Arrepentimientos sobres situaciones pasadas: If only/I wish+Sujeto+ Past Perfect
“If only I had visited Hawaii when I had the chance”
3. Expresar deseo de que la situación presente cambie en el futuro o para quejarnos de algo actual:
“I wish my boyfriend would stop smoking” / If only you would shut up””