ALL CONDITIONALS

and future time clauses

to talk about hypothetical, real, possible,improbable,impossible, regretful etc

…. situations

If …………… (and their

consequences)
 Remember …
• You can invert the two clauses in all
conditionals:

If I were you, I’d stop smoking.

I’d stop smoking, If I were you.

If not = unless
 Different types of conditionals
1) zero conditional

2) First conditional

3)Second conditional

4)Third conditional

3)Mixed conditional
 Zero Conditional is used:
• To talk about things that are generally true as
a result of something, things which always
happen.
• Scientific or biological facts.
• General causes and effects.
• In these kind of conditionals we use present
tenses (present simple, present continuous,
present perfect) in both clauses.
 Zero conditional: Form
• If + present simple, and present simple

• You can also use present continuous or

present perfect in either clause.

• Eg. If you haven’t been to London, you

haven’t lived.
 ZERO conditional
• Water boils when it reaches 100°C.

• If/when prices go down, sales increase

if+Present simple + present simpe

• If people have travelled a lot in life, they have lived!

If+Present perfect + present perfect

• If/when people have been working all day, we don’t

get good results.
If+Present perfect continuous + present simple
 First Conditional
First clause /after if Second clause

• WILL/WON’T
• If + Any present tense • Going to + infinitive
(present simple/ • Future perfect
continuous/perfect) • Future continuous
• imperative

Possible or likely things in the future

 Examples (first conditional)
• If you don’t do more work, you’ll fail the exam.
• She won’t get into University unless she gets
good grades. (Unless = if not)
• If I haven’t come back by 1 o’clock start
without me.
• If you’re not going, I’m not going to go.
• If you send the file by 5 pm today, I’ll have the
report finished with my additions by 1 pm
tomorrow.
 Future time clauses
• When you are talking about the future, use a
present tense after these expressions:
• Any Present tense: Present
simple/continuous/perfect.

– As soon as
– When
– Until
– Unless
– Before/after
– In case
 Future time clauses
• I’ll be ready as soon as I’ve fished this survey.
• We’ll probabbly be interviewing more
candidates when you arrive.
• We are not going to start until you have
arrived/you arrive
• I’m not going to work overtime unless I get
paid.
• Take an umbrella in case it rains.
 In case/if
• We use in case when we do something in order
to be ready for future situations/problems.
• Compare:
I’ll accept the job offer If it’s well paid.
= I won’t accept the job offer if it’s not well paid.
I’ll accept the job in case I don’t get any other
offers.
= I will accept anyway, because there might not be
any other offers.
 Second Conditional
• Would/wouldn’t +VERB
(without to)
If + PAST SIMPLE
• Might/might not
Or
(without to)
If + PAST CONTINUOUS
• Could/couldn’t
(without to)
When do you use the 2° Conditional?

•Use the second conditional to talk about

hypothetical/imaginary or improbable situations in
the present or future and their consequences.

•Also to give advice:

eg: If I were you, I’d get the earlier flight.

•NOTE when you give advice:

With the verb Be you use were for I/he/she and it in
the if clause.
eg: If he/I were here, he/I’d know what to do.
 Compare 1° and 2° Conditional
• If I have time, I’ll help you.
= a possible situation. I may have time.

• If I had time, I’d help you.

= an imaginary/hypothetical situation.
I don’t/won’t have time.

Remember here: I’d = I would

 Third CONDITIONAL
• Past prefect Simple • Would (not) + have +
past participle
or + • Might (not) + have +
past participle
• Past Perfect • Could (not) + have +
Continuous past participle

Things that didn't happen in the past and

their imaginary results
• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have done
better in your exams.
• Eg: If you had worked harder, you wouldn’t have
been dismissed.
• Eg: if you had been driving more slowly you
wouldn’t have got stopped by the police.

• To talk about a hypothetical past situation and

its consequence.
• Used to express the wish to change a past action
or situation.
• Often used to express regret.
 Compare 2° and 3° conditionals
• Eg: If you studied more, you would do better in
your exams.

• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have

done better in your exams.
• Eg: If you studied more, you would do better in
your exams.
= you don’t study enough. But if you did things
would be different.

• Eg: If you had studied more, you would have done

better in your exams.
= you didn’t study enough, so you failed. You imagine
how things could have been different in the past.
 Mixed Conditional (2° + 3°)

• If + Past perfect Simple • Would/would’t + VERB

• If + Past perfect • Might/might not + VERB

Continuous
• Could/couldn’t + VERB

You imagine a past action with a result

in present
 Mixed Conditional (2° + 3°)
• If I had bought shares in that company, I
would be rich now.

• The mixed conditional here is used to express

regret about the present situation, because of
a past action.
The hypothetical situation in the past has a
present/future consequence. (not past)
 Which conditional?
When….
• Wishing to change the past
• A real possibility
• To hypothesise about an imaginary improbable situation in
the present or future
• General cause and effect
• A specific cause and effect
• A remote/unlikely possibility
• Scientific facts or gereral truths
• To give advice
• Cause and effect in past
• You imagine a past action with a result in present/future
 Which conditional?
When….
• Wishing to change the past – 3° cond
• A real possibility – 1° cond
• To hypothesise about an imaginary improbable situation in
present or future – 2° cond
• General cause and effect – zero cond
• A specific cause and effect - 1° cond
• A remote/unlikely possibility 2° cond
• Scientific facts or gereral truths - zero cond
• To give advice - 2° cond
• Cause and effect in past – 3° cond
• You imagine a past action with a result in present: mixed
cond