Conditonals

(if clauses)
What are they?
Event/scenarios that: 1) Always happen
2) Can happen, it’s very probable
3) Have a probability to happen (from
high to low)
4) could have happened (but didn’t)
5) can’t happen for various reasons that
stand in the way

And the conditions that influence these

events/scenarios

Conditionals describe the result of something that might

happen.
There are 3 types. We’ll talk about 2 for now. :)

Zero conditional
Structure: if+ present simple....... present simple
Example: If you eat fruits you get vitamins.
 We use the zero conditional when we talk about general
things that will surely happen: Very general, very
scientific, proven right before by people, general
truths.

 If you don’t wash your hands you get sick

 Cats bite if you pull their tail
 Your nose gets stuffy if you don’t blow it
 Your stomach hurts if you don’t eat regularly
 You will get cavities if you don’t brush your teeth
 If you workout too much you get sore
 If you lose too much blood you can die
 If you are Thor the God of Thunder you have magic
powers.

See? These facts are general truths that have been proven
right. It’s hard to deny them. ;)

Type one conditional

Structure: if+ present simple........ will+ infinitive
Example: If it rains tomorrow we will stay inside

We use the first conditional to talk about things that are

very likely to happen in the future. They are very possible
and can very easy come true. Imagine talking about something
that can easily become real.
  If I study tonight, I will attend the party on Saturday
 He’ll break his leg if she doesn’t learn to ski better
 She’ll miss the bus if he doesn’t hurry
 If you don’t put sunscreen you will get a bad burn
 If the Avengers don’t defeat Thanos he will destroy the
planet
 If get a job as a cashier you will get better at counting
money
 If Godzilla defeats Ghidora he will become the king of
the monsters.
Hmmm...
what’s the
difference?

Zero VS First conditional

If you sit in the sun too long, you get burned. – general info

If you sit in the sun too long, you’ll get burned – it’s a particular
situation that you are talking about. You’re at the beach with a friend
and you refuse to put on sunscreen so he tells you what might happen.

Dogs bite if you behave aggressive with them– general info

If he behaves aggressive with the dog it will bite him– it’s a

particular situation. You see a guy that maybe wants to kick a dog or
brutally pushes it. You know that dog doesn’t like that. You predict
what will happen in this particular situation. You’re not talking in
general about dogs.
Type two conditional:
Structure: if + past simple ........would + infinitive
Example: If you studied hard you would get a 10.

Structure: if +past simple...would+ be+ past

participle
Example: If I had a better voice I would be taking
singing lessons.

We use type 2 conditionals:

1) When we talk about things in the future that aren’t
likely to become true: dreams, hopes, wild imaginations.
 If I had millions of dollars I would buy and island.
 If she had a monster truck she would look like the
Queen of the roads.
 He would look like Legolas from Lord of the Rings if
he had another hair color and a smaller nose3.

2) When we talk about not doing something in the present
because things that happened in the past.
 If he had a car he would get his driving license
 If there were no students loans I would study abroad
 We would get married if we didn’t spend the money
for the wedding.
 Captain America would go back to the 1950s if there
was a time machine invented.
  My mom would buy us more sweets if she didn’t have
to pay so many bills last month.
 They would be going to the theatre if they bought
the tickets last week.

3) Used for imaginary situations that we prepare for or are

aware they might happen.
 If a blizzard started, would you still go to work?
 Would she still continue working if she was sick?
 If an earthquake happened, would you run down the
stairs?

4) Used for advice starting with” If I were...”

 If I were you I wouldn’t skateboard in the rain.
 If I were you I would stay away from junk food.
 If I were you I would drive slower when it snows.

Geeze Louise!
Type 1 or
Type 2?

Type 1 vs Type 2

If I have enough money I will buy a laptop – more

likely to happen.

If I had enough money I would buy a Ferrari – sadly

this is a less likely to happen. It’s a hope or dream.
If I work hard I will get a promotion – the sentences
are the same but this one shows it’s more likely to happen.

If I worked hard I would get a promotion – the

sentences are the same but this one shows it’s more a wish than
something sure. I’m not sure I can work harder or it’s harder to get
promoted where I work.

If I study hard I will get a 10.

If I studied harder I would get a 10.