The conditionals

The first conditional

Formation

Use

The first conditional is used to refer to something that is likely to happen in the present or in the future.

Example sentences

- If it rains tomorrow, we won’t go for a walk.

- If Alex still feels sick tomorrow, he won’t be able to go to school.

The second conditional

Formation

Use

The second conditional is used to refer to something that is unlikely to happen in the present or in the
future.

Example sentences

- If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.

- If Alex could be his favourite animal for one day, he would be a dog.

The third conditional

Formation

Use

The third conditional is used to refer to something that might have happened in the past, but did not
happen.

Example sentences

- If I hadn’t been sick, I would have gone to your party.

- If I had seen him in London last week, I would have told you.
1. Fill in the gap.
The first conditional
1. If he ……………………………………………. (do) that, he ……………………………

(be) sorry.

2. If I ……………………………………………. (leave) now, I ……………………………

(arrive) in New York by 8:00 PM.

3. You……………………………………………. (not do well) on your test if you

………………………… (not study).

The second conditional

1. I ……………………………………………. (go) on a trip around the world if I

……………………………………………. (win) the lottery.

2. I…………………………………………….(not do) that if I ………………………………

(be) you.

3. If these walls ……………………………………………. (be) thicker, we

……………………………………………. (not hear) the neighbours.

The third conditional

1. If you …………………………………….(not be) late, we

…………………………………. (not miss) the bus.

2. If she …………………………………………….(study) she …………………………….

(pass) the exam.

3. If we …………………………………….(arrive) earlier, we …………………………….

(see) John.

Mixed exercise
1. If you……………………………………………. (be) a professional basketball player,

who……………………………………………. (you/play) for?

2. If he……………………………………………. (not study) now, he won’t have enough

time later.
 3. If Susan had taken the map, she……………………………………………. (not get)

lost.

4. Where ……………………………………………. (you/go) on holiday if you

……………………………………………. (can) choose any destination in the world?

5. What ……………………………………………. (you/give) me if it were my birthday

tomorrow?

6. If we recycle more, there ……………………………………………. (not be) so much

rubbish.

7. If they had had something to eat that day, they

……………………………………………. (not be) hungry.

8. If we ……………………………………………. (hear) the weather forecast yesterday,

we ……………………………………………. (not go) to the beach.

9. What…………………………………………….(you/buy) if you

……………………………………………. (can afford) anything you wanted?

10. If they ……………………………………………. (not hurry) up, they will miss the film.

11. If the bus ……………………………………………. (not arrive) soon, we’ll be late.

12. If they ……………………………………………. (phone) me yesterday, I

……………………………………………. (give) them the news.

2. ‘What if…’

Describe your reaction to the following situations or – in case of the third situation –
explain how that particular experience could have been avoided. Use the correct
conditional.

Caution: a conditional sentence consists of two parts, the main clause and the if-clause.
Make sure you include both parts whenever you want to use a conditional sentence.

Remember:
- a situation that is likely to happen in the present or near future: first conditional;
- a situation that is unlikely to happen in the present or near future: second
conditional;
 - a situation that might have happened in the past, but did not happen. You are
imagining a different past: third conditional.

1. You won the lottery and now you want to make a voyage around the world. You can

afford anything you want: flying in business class, the most luxurious hotels, etc.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. You go on a trip with your fellow classmates and you hope your parents give you some

extra money to spend during this holiday.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Once, you went on a trip to London and you forgot to read the hotel reviews before

booking a room. It was the most horrible hotel experience you have ever had.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Photo game: the conditional

Pair up with a fellow classmate. Invent a situation accompanying each one of the

photographs below, using the first, second or third conditional. Your partner has to guess

which one of the eight photographs accompanies your story.

5. Reading comprehension: ‘The ‘if’-generation’

THE IF GENERATION
Nowadays, many people have issues with appreciating what they have; it is always the
matter of ‘If I were richer…’, ‘If I were younger…’, ‘If I were him…’ etc. I don’t have a
problem
with the fact that we want more from our lives; what annoys me is the fact that we keep
saying what we would do ‘IF’ …

When I was younger, I thought that if my parents had been richer I could have been more
fortunate with my life. I was losing my time on thinking that if I had been born in the family
of
my cousin, I would have enjoyed private tennis lessons, skiing holidays in Austria or
expensive, fashionable clothes. What I didn’t take into consideration back then was the
fact
that I didn’t really like sport, I absolutely hated skiing and expensive clothes often covered
the lack of personality. In other words, I was jealous of the things that I didn’t want in
reality.
Nowadays I keep finding myself the new ‘ifs’ that can successfully keep me away from
being
happy. I think that if I had more time, I would start going to the gym; if I had more money, I
would eat healthy etc. Result? An overweight 30-year-old woman, always complaining
about
how difficult life is.

But the problem of ‘ifs’ doesn’t finish here. We tend to overuse the 1st conditional in quite
straightforward situations. ‘I’ll visit you if I have time’ usually means ‘I won’t visit you, I’m
busy’ or ‘I will lend you the money if I can’ equals: ‘ I will not lend you the money, don’t put
me in an uncomfortable situation’. Why do we choose to send confusing messages when
we can simply say what we think? We have to be not only politically correct anymore, we
must be socially correct too.

Give one example of each conditional from the text.

First conditional

Second conditional

Third conditional

Do you agree with the author of the text that we tend to overthink everything too much and

are never satisfied with our lives? In other words, that there is always an ‘if’ lurking in the

shadows of our minds?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………