Conditional structures.

There are four main types of conditional sentences,

unimaginatively named the Zero Conditional, First Conditional,
Second Conditional, and Third Conditional. Now, let’s elaborate a
bit further.
1. Zero Conditional - We use the Zero Conditional to express
something which will always happen if a certain condition is met,
i.e. general truths. When it comes to the Zero Conditional, you use
Present Simple Tense in both the if-clause and the main clause.

 If you heat water, it boils.

 If you go to bed late, you wake up tired in the morning.
 If you mix red and green, you get brown.

2. First Conditional - The point of the First Conditional is to

express an outcome that is likely to happen in the future, not
guaranteed mind you, if a certain condition is fulfilled. You use
Present Simple Tense in the if-clause and the Future Simple Tense
in the main clause.

 If it snows, I will go sledding.

 If I see my friend, I’ll have coffee with him.
 If I save some money, I will buy a new phone.
3. Second Conditional - The Second Conditional is where things
start to get a bit tricky. Sometimes, we use the Second
Conditional to express entirely unlikely scenarios where the
condition will probably never be met, and, because of that, neither
will the result occur.
At other times, we use it to express something that can happen.
You use Past Simple Tense in the if-clause, and one of the modal
verbs (e.g. should, could, might, would, etc.) plus the main verb in
the main clause.

 If I had more money, I would get a Ferrari.

 If Tom spent more time studying, he could have better
grades.
 If I met Tom Cruise, I would ask him for an autograph.

4. Third Conditional - Finally, there’s the Third Conditional. We

use it to explain how the current circumstances might have been
different if something else had happened some time ago. So,
hypothetical situations. You use Past Perfect Tense in the if-
clause, and the construction modal verb (e.g. could, should, would,
etc.) + have + past participle of the main verb.

 If you had paid more attention while driving, you would not
have broken your bumper.
 If she had studied harder, she would have gotten a better
grade.
 If Monica had seen me, she certainly would have said “hi”.