Conditionals

The first conditional

The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause:

If + present simple, ... will + infinitive

Example:

If it rains, I won't go to the park.

It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can't know what will
happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true.

The second conditional

We use the second conditional to talk about an imaginary or unlikely situation and its imagined
result. It can describe present and future situations.

 If + Past simple, … would VI

Example:

If we had more time, we would visit Japan (We would visit Japan, if we had more time).

The third conditional

We use the third conditional to talk about unreal situations in the past. The condition is imaginary,
because we cannot change what happened. Consequently, the result is also impossible. Unless is never
used in third conditional sentences.

 If + Past perfect, … would have VIII

Example:

If you had studied, you would have passed the exam (You would have passed the exam if you had
studied).

Mixed conditionals

When the time reference in the ‘If’ clause is different from the time reference in the main clause, we
use a ‘mixed conditional’ sentence. This is a mix of second and third conditionals in the same
 Conditionals

sentence. Mixed conditionals describe an unreal situation: either a past condition with a present
result, or a present condition with a past result.

Present condition/Past result (2nd conditional + 3rd conditional)

 If + Past simple, … would have + VIII

Example:

If she believed in ghosts, that story would have terrified her. (She doesn’t believe in ghosts and the
story did not terrify her).

Past condition/Present result (3rd conditional + 2nd conditional)

 If + Past Perfect, … would + VI

Example:

If I hadn’t switched off my alarm clock, I wouldn’t be late now. (I switched my alarm clock off in the
past and I am late now).