Conditional clauses:

1. Conditional clauses are parts of sentences, which denote different meanings, such as:

● real, possible situations

● unreal, improbable situations
● imaginary past situations
● true “cause-effect”

Before we take a closer look at the different meanings, we first need to get ourselves acquainted with
some expressions, used in conjunction with conditional clauses.

Conditional clauses are basically units found in the sentence. The sentence is the largest grammatical unit,
it is found right on top of the hierarchical pyramid of sentence structuralisation. Clauses are, by that
extension, a subclass, which constructs a sentence. There are different types of clauses, such as
subordinate clauses, simple clauses, etc. Clauses are essentially constructed out of one verb with other
words attached to it, therefore their structure is always simple. Let’s take a look at an example:

Mary came home after her boss closed the office.

The whole example is a sentence, the largest grammatical unit, denoting semantical meaning. However, if
we take a closer look we will find two clauses (verbs surrounded by other parts of speech):

Mary came home after her boss closed the office.

Mary came home is our main or result clause, presenting the sentence’s main “jist”. The main clause is
identified by the verb, in our case came. Now, what type of clause is the one in blue? This is what we call
a subordinate clause, precisely a subordinate clause functioning as an adjunct of time (it denotes the
connection with the main and subordinate clause with semantic and grammatical meaning concerning
time).

Subordinate clauses may define various meanings and function as a variety of adjuncts, thus denoting all
sorts of situations and semantic concepts. Taking into account the different tenses and situations we end
up with a wide nexus of meanings that is not always properly organised.

In such cases we differentiate subclasses which in terms help us create a protocol for systematizing
situations, which require a quick response. Taking the latter into account let’s examine our next example:

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 If I get good grades,I’ll get a TV.

This is a sentence constructed out of two clauses, the subordinate one containing will+get and the main
one containing get. The main clause denotes future meaning by use of “Will” future tense. How about our
subordinate clause? If most certainly describes a possibility, used in conjunction with the present simple
tense. A clause starting with if denoting possibility is also called an “if clause”; these are most commonly
associated with conditional clauses.

2. The Conditional Clause Type 1

Our previous example of clauses, incorporating the if clause is also called the conditional clause type 1.
As previously introduced, the conditional clause type 1 describes or is used to describe real, possible
situations. This concept has some sort of causality added to it, a “cause-effect” type of meaning;

In order for me to get a TV I will need good grades; by using “Will” future we present the possibility of
obtaining a TV (future time, consequence) as a result of getting good grades (a set condition). If , as a
conjunct used with the present simple tense followed by “Will” future in our result clause, denotes
causality.

Different applications of the Type 1 Conditional:

1 Type 1 used for threats:

If you don’t give me the money, I will beat you up!

2 Type 1 used for warnings:

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 If Caytlin doesn’t change her tires, she will have an accident.

3 Type 1 used for promises:

If I win the lottery, I will give you 100.000 €

4 Type 1 used for predictions:

If the Dallas Cowboys don’t win this game, they will not get into the semifinals.

The hallmark of Type 1 is reality/consequence. Promises, warnings, predictions and threats, these are all
situations, which can in terms develop and have future causality, as for example:

If I win the lottery, I will give you 100.000€

However; What happens when we do not predict or promise an outcome yet we imagine a situation, as in:

If I won the lottery, I would give her 100.000€

Imaginary, improbable, unrealistic situations and outcomes are usually denoted with the Conditional
clause Type 2, the “imaginary” conditional:

3. The Conditional Clause Type 2

The second conditional clause is mainly used for expressing imaginary situations, hypotheticals.
Situations of improbable nature are expressed by using the if clause with the past simple tense while the
main clause contains the modal verb would + verb. Even though we use the past simple tense, we don’t
necessarily intend to express a past period of happening, quite the contrary; we are expressing a
hypothetical possibility, occurrence.

If I won the lottery, I would give her 100.000€

This sentence presents just that: If in the near future I win the lottery the consequence that follows is I
will get 100.000€; the main difference between the first and second conditional is the reality of the
situation and the resulting occurrence, in this case, unreal. Let’s look at it this way, there is no real
possibility I might win the lottery, so the result is as absurd as the hypothetical situation.

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Note also that we use the modal would only in conjunction with the conjunct if, ad not in the main clause
with the past simple tense. It is also possible to substitute the modal would with could/might, of course
pay attention to semantic meaning:

ex.1

If you took more medicine, you might feel better.

ex.2

If it stopped raining, we could go out.

We have already set the basic function for the second type conditional, which is the description of unreal,
impossible situations. However, we may use the second conditional for another purpose; asking
somebody to do something:

I would really like it if you would give the letter to her.

Final summation: the second type conditional is mainly used for expressing imaginary situation, unlikely
scenarios; however, what happens when we speculate about imaginary situations? Yes, this does sound
eerily like the second type conditional. Let’s imagine this: We speculate about a situation in the past. Now
this is where the second conditional won’t do us any good: the past tense is not necessarily used for
expressing a past time, quite the contrary.

How can you speculate about an imaginary situation set in the past? The sentence is as it follows:

If I had won the lottery, I would have given you 100.000€

At first it might seem a tad confusing, however imaginary situations in the past are the hallmark of our
next type of conditional:

4. The Conditional Clause Type 3

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Used primarily for describing past situations, the third type conditional clause is mainly used for
expressing:

● past imaginary situations

● past regrets

We mainly use the past perfect tense to describe such situations; the basic principle of the present perfect
simple tense is that an action occurred before a past, finite action. Let’s take a look at our previous
example:

If I had won the lottery, I would have given you 100.000€

Firstly, the action of giving the money happens after winning the lottery, therefore we have set some sort
of causality. In a given past time we won the lottery and gave the money; sort of. What we need to be
attentive about is the fact that the third type conditional deals with imaginary situations, so none of it is
real. Let’s take another example:

I didn’t see you when you passed me on the street. If I’d seen you, I would have said hello.

The only real situation was the not-seeing one on the street. We were walking on the street and we didn’t
see him/her however, in an imaginary, hypothetical state, situation we would say hello. A visual
representation might aid:

Another popular usage for the third conditional is the substitution with the amalgamation “I wish”, which
denotes regret. We may switch our conjunct and insert “I wish” and change the meaning of the clause,
however nota bene! we absolutely do not use would have after wish:

The exam was pretty tough. I wish I had studied more (not I wish I would have studied)!

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Lastly, we need to clarify the proper use of the modal would and the application of it’s subtitutes, etc.
Let’s compare different situations:

-> we would have gone out.

If the weather hadn’t been so bad -> we could have gone out.

-> we might have gone out.

The first possibility clearly expresses causality, if the weather had held, the second clause would take
effect. The second possibility denotes the ability to go out (we would be able to go out) while the third
option gives us the possibility of going out, completely hypothetical.

We can plainly see the different applications of modal verbs, and how their usage and substitution affects
the semantical status of a sentence in conjunction with conditional clauses.

Now let’s take a look at our final type of conditional:

5. The Conditional Clause Type Zero

The zero type conditional mainly concerns real causality, which means that when an action or situation
takes place, a result will surely follow. No hypotheticals, no imaginary scenarios, etc. , “anything that
happens is always true” type of concept. Let’s take a look at the example:

If I wake up late, my mother takes me to school.

There are no parallel separate options or situations surfacing, there are no hypotheticals. We can also
change or substitute a time clause as in:

When I wake up late, my mother takes me to school.

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The zero type conditional has another peculiar usage; we can also write the result clause first, then
followed by the conditional clause:

My dog doesn’t bark, if he gets yelled at.

Final summation:

Conditional clauses are parts of sentences (the highest grammatical unit). They mainly express causality, a
cause, which in terms produces a result, shown in the result clause. The four basic usages of conditional
clauses are possible situations, unlikely situations, hypothetical past scenarios and absolutely real
situations.

Written by Tadej Blažič