CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Usamos las oraciones condicionales para expresar condición. Normalmente son dos oraciones
formadas por:

- If clause
- Main clause

If you go to Yolanda’s lessons, you learn a lot of English.

ZERO CONDITIONAL

IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, PRESENT SIMPLE

Usamos la condicional de tipo cero cuando hablamos de verdades generales, leyes naturales o
cosas que siempre ocurren.

If you heat water to 100º degrees, it boils

People wear lighter clothes when/ if it is hot.
When/ if I am tired, I get black circles under my eyes.

También podemos usar este tipo de conditional cuando nos referimos a situaciones que nos
ocurren siempre y que, por lo tanto, son verdades para nosotros.

If he comes home early, he sits in the garden.

When I arrive late on Saturday night, my mother shouts me.

FIRST CONDITIONAL

WILL + INFINITIVO
IF + PRESENT SIMPLE, IMPERATIVE
MODAL VERB + INF

Usamos la condicional de tipo 1 para expresar que algo es posible/ probable.

If we hurry, we won’t be late.

Make a sandwich if you are hungry.
If you don’t feel well, you must/ have to/ can… see a doctor.
If he calls you, you should go.

B2+
- En lugar de presente simple podemos usar presente continuo.

If they are coming for lunch, we’ll have to buy some more food.

- En lugar de futuro simple podemos usar “going to”.

You are going to fail the exam if you don’t study harder.

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VARIANTES DE IF

- Unless you hurry up, we’ll be late = If you don’t hurry up, we’ll be late.
- You have got to start studying, or you’ll fail all those exams = If you don’t start studying, you
will fail the exams
- We’d better send it express, otherwise it’ll take days = it’ll take days if we don’t send it
express = it’ll take days unless we send it express.
- You can play in the living room as long as you don’t make a mess. (informal)
- So long as/ on condition that a tiger stands still, it is invisible in the jungle. (formal)
- You can get a senior citizen’s reduction providing (that) you’ve got a railcard. (informal)
- They may do whatever they like provided (that) it is within the law. (formal)
- Hold on to the handrail in case you slip.
- Supposing you fail the exam, what will you do?

SECOND CONDITIONAL

IF + PAST SIMPLE, WOULD + INF

MODAL + INF

Usamos la condicional de tipo 2 para expresar una situación poco probable o imaginaria.

- If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in the Caribbean.

- If I were PM, I would make school holidays longer.
- I could fly like Peter Pan if I had wings.
- If he had the book, he might lend it to me.

Ojo! En el tipo 2, podemos usar WERE en todas las personas.

THIRD CONDITIONAL

IF + PAST PERFECT, WOULD HAVE + PP

MODAL PERFECT + INF

Usamos la condicional tipo 3 para referirnos a una situacion pasada.

- If he had lent me the money, I would have bought that car.

- He woudn’t have missed his flight if he had left on time.
- If he had followed the instructions, he wouldn’t have damaged the CD player.
- If I had known you were in hospital, I could have visited you.

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MIXED CONDITIONALS

Cuando hablamos sobre situaciones imaginarias o hipotéticas, A VECES necesitamos usar mixed
conditionals.

Las condicionales se pueden mezclar de muchas formas pero nosotros vamos a ver las mas
comunes.

THIRD – SECOND MIXED CONDITIONALS

Expresan una situación pasada con un resultado en el presente o en el futuro.

Yesterday I went to bed early, I am not tired today. If I had gone to bed late, I’d be tired today.
If I hadn’t called you yesterday, you wouldn’t be here today
Where would you stay if you hadn’t found a hotel this morning?

SECOND – THIRD MIXED CONDITIONALS

Expresan una situación pasada cuyos resultados no sucedieron el en pasado.

Yesterday I heard a French song, but I didn’t understand the words because I can’t speak French.
If I could speak French, I would have understood the song.
What would you have done if you were me?
If it wasn’t so cold in this country, we could have gone out yesterday.

I WISH / IF ONLY.

Los usamos para expresar deseos. (If only is stronger than I wish)

I wish/ if only + past simple

Cuando imaginamos algo poco probable o imposible, pero que nos gustaría que fuera cierto:

- I wish I had more money

- If only you didn’t have to work tomorrow.
- I wish I could speak German.

* Para cosas mas verosímiles, usamos “hope”

- I hope you enjoy your holidays.

I wish / if only + would

Este uso se parece un poco al anterior aunque no es exactamente igual. Usamos esta estructura
para expresar que algo, generalmente el comportamiento de otras personas, nos molesta y nos
gustaría que cambiara. También se puede usar con el tiempo atmosférico:

- I wish you would listen to me.

- I wish you would smoke a bit less.
- I wish it wouldn’t rain so often.

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I wish/ if only + past perfect

Para expresar arrepentimiento o deseo de que algo hubiese ocurrido de manera diferente.

- I wish I had broken up with him sooner.

- I wish I hadn’t moved to the city.
- If only you had paid more attention.

Wish + infinitivo

Este uso es muy formal. Es equivalente a “would like” pero solo se encuentra en contextos
formales o literatura fantástica.

- I wish to leave now

- He only wishes to speak to Gandalf.
- They wish the duke to attend the ceremony tomorrow.

INVERSION IN CONDITINAL SENTENCES

B2+
La inversión sucede cuando queremos hacer mas formales aquellas condicionales que contienen
los auxiliares should, were, had. En estos casos, omitimos “if” e invertimos el sujeto – auxiliar.

- Had I known about the draft beer, I would have bought it instantly.
- Should you want to be thin, you must eat food that has slow sugar and salt.
- Were children not to digest what they eat, they usually would have stomachache.

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