English grammar can be pretty confusing.

There are certain rules we strive to familiarize but cannot be

applied in all cases. There are always exemptions to consider.

The good thing however is, there are some grammatical structures in English that follow certain rules
which makes it easier for you to feel more confident about the way that you express your thoughts and
your ideas when you speak and write. One of these is the use of conditionals.

We use conditional sentences to explain:

 What actually happens

 What could happen
 What we wish would happen
 What might have happened

Take a look at these formats:

If I get hungry, I take a snack.

If I get hungry, I will take a snack.

If I got hungry, I would take a snack.

If I had been hungry, I would have taken a snack.

There are two parts in each sentence and they all use the conjunction “if” to join two ideas together in
one sentence. Thus, a conditional sentence is always composed of the if-clause and result/consequence
clause

The if-clause is the event or situation that must happen in order for the result-clause to happen.

There are Four Types of Conditionals:

 Zero Conditional Ex: If I get hungry, I take a snack.

 First Conditional Ex: If I get hungry, I will take a snack.
 Second Conditional Ex: If I got hungry, I would take a snack.
 Third Conditional Ex: If I had been hungry, I would have taken a snack.

Let us have them one-by-one:

 ZERO CONDITIONAL -is used to express facts, habits and truths

(If + simple present , simple present)

If it rains, the soil gets wet. If you put ice in your drink, it melts.

 FIRST CONDITIONAL- used to express likely possible and future actions

(If + simple present , will + base form verb)

If it is hot tomorrow, I will go to the beach If she calls, I will visit her.

 SECOND CONDITIONAL – used to express things in the future that are probably not going to be
true
(If + simple past , would + base form verb)

If I came earlier, I would catch the train. If she stole my wallet, I would report her acts.

 THIRD CONDITIONAL – used to express a situation that did not happen, and to imagine the
result of this situation.

(If + past perfect , would have + past participle)

If we had looked at the weather report, we would have stayed home

If grandma had known about the celebration, she would have attended the party.