Conditional

Sentences
“If grandma had wheels she’d
be a bicycle.”
Conditional sentences
• Conditional Sentences are also
known as Conditional Clauses or If
Clauses.
• They are used to express that the
action in the main clause (without
if) can only take place if a certain
condition (in the clause with if) is
fulfilled.
 Conditional
Sentences
• There are two kinds of conditional
sentences: real and unreal.
• Real Conditional describes real-
life situations.
• Unreal Conditional describes
unreal, imaginary situations.
• However there are three types of
Conditional Sentences.
What do these sentences tell
us about reality?
• If you work hard, you’ll succeed.

• If you worked hard, you would

succeed.

• If you had worked hard, you

would have succeeded.
1st Conditional
A touch of reality…
If-clause Main clause
Present simple will

If I see him, I will give him the book.

If I don’t see him, I will phone him in

the evening.

The order of the clauses can be reversed.

In this case DO NOT use a comma.
I will phone him in the evening if I don’t
see him.
 Use of Conditional
type 1
• Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the
future.

• An action in the future will only happen if

a certain condition is fulfilled by that time.

• We don't know for sure whether the

condition actually will be fulfilled or not,
but the conditions seems rather realistic –
so we think it is likely to happen
UNLESS
 UNLESS
• Unless = If … not

• If you don’t run, you’ll miss the

bus.

• Unless you run, you’ll miss the bus.

2nd Conditional
There’s still hope…
If-clause Main clause
Past simple would

If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.

If I had a car, I wouldn’t walk to

school.

The order of the clauses can be reversed.

In this case DO NOT use a comma.
I would read more if I didn’t watch so
much TV.
 Use of Conditional
type 2
• Conditional Type 2 is an unreal
conditional.

• The Unreal Conditional is used to

talk about improbable conditions
or impossible situations.
Please take a look at the example
carefully…
• Conditional • If John had money,
sentence he would buy a
Ferrari.
• John doesn’t have
• True Fact 1 money, He will not
buy a Ferrari
• True Fact 2 • John buys an
ordinary car.
Please take a look at the example
carefully…
• Conditional • If I found her address,
sentence I would send her an
invitation.
• I don’t find her
• True Fact 1 address, I will not
send her an invitation
• It’s difficult to find
her address
• True Fact 2
 Were instead of was
• In Conditional Sentence Type II,
we usually use ‚were‘ – even if
the pronoun is I, he, she or it –.
• We don’t use was in Conditional
Sentence Type II
If I were you, I would tell her.
The 3 (unreal)
rd

Conditional
The land of regrets…
If-clause Main clause
Past Perfect would have + past participle

If I had seen you, I would have said

hello.

If you had told me the truth, I would have

forgiven you.

The order of the clauses can be reversed. In

this case DO NOT use a comma.
I would have forgiven you if you had told
me the truth.
 Use of Conditional
type 3
• Conditional Type 3 is an unreal
past conditional.

• The Unreal Conditional is used to

speculate about imaginary
situations or to regret past events.
 “If” sentences

If I come ...
If I had come... If I were you
If I came ... If I would
If I would come ...
If I wouldn’t
If I had
If I hadn’t
Would you like to check
your knowledge? If I didn’t have
If I was
 were have
If Kathy _____ some money,
she would go to the movies. had
was have
has
would have
would had
If Kathy had some money,.......
have
 didn’t
If Joe _____ in an important
meeting,
he would go home and take a nap.
were
weren’t
was
wouldn’t be

If Joe weren’t in an important meeting, .......

doesn’t
wasn’t
 has studied

If Chuck _____ , he probably

weren’t stupid
wouldn't
have failed his exam.
Might have studied

would study

will study

wasn’t stupid
If Chuck had studied, .....

had studied
 hadn’t have
If Jan _____ to work, she
would've gone to Jim's party. hadn’t
didn’t
hadn’t had
didn’t have
If Jan hadn’t had to work, ......... wasn’t
wouldn’t have
If I _____ Ted, I'll give him saw
your message.
would see
had saw
have seen
seen
If I see Ted, ......... see
will see
If it _____ raining, I'd work didn’t
outside today.
doesn’t
isn’t
hadn’t been
wouldn’t been
If it weren’t raining, ........ weren’t
wasn’t
 didn’t have
Rex _____ miss work today if
his wife and children hadn't
all been sick with the flu. hadn’t had to

wouldn’t had

hadn’t have to

Wouldn’t
had to
wouldn’t have
Rex wouldn’t have had to miss work today,...
had to

didn’t had
 couldn’t have
finished
I _____ my work if you hadn't
wasn’t able
helped me.
to finish
hadn’t been
able to finish

hadn’t finished

hadn’t have
finished

I couldn’t have finished my work, ........ wouldn’t been

finished
wasn’t able
finished
 wouldn’t be
It _____ possible for you to do this
quiz if you didn't have wasn’t
a computer and modem.
weren’t

hadn’t been

hadn’t have
been

It wouldn’t be possible for you, ........ wouldn’t been

wasn’t been
 wouldn’t be
possible
It _____ to find this quiz
on the WWW in 1994. had been
impossible

had saw

have seen

seen

would’ve been
It would’ve been impossible, ......... impossible

will see