There are four types of conditional sentences

：
 Real present or 0 condition
 Real future or 1st condition
 Unreal present / future or 2nd condition
 Unreal past or 3rd condition
When referring to conditional sentences ,
we will refer to the if clause and the result
clause , that is the main clause of sentence .

RESULT CLAUSE
I would have met you at the airport

if I had known you were coming.

IF CLAUSE
The order of the if clause and the result clause
is interchangeable . If the result clause is first ,
there is no comma between the clauses ; but if
the if clause if first , a comma comes before
the result clause .

IF CLAUSE
If I had known you were coming ,
I would have met you at the airport .

RESULT CLAUSE
 Real conditionals are used when the if clause
expresses an idea that is probably true , or at
least very possible .

A real present condition is one in which the situation is

true in the habitual present time . This form is usually
used to express general truths .
If it rains , we swim at the gym .
Water boils if it is heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit .
In the real present condition ( like in the above
examples ) , a present tense used in both the if
clause and in the result clause . In these
examples , the simple present is used , but
depending on the intended meaning , we could
also see the present progressive , a present
modal , or even the present perfect , as the
following examples illustrate.

If it is raining , we may swim at the gym .

Water boils if it has been heated to 212

degrees Fahrenheit .
 A real future condition is one in which the situation
will most probably be true in the future .
If it rains tomorrow, we will carry our umbrellas .
In a real future condition , we use a present tense verb in
the if clause , and a future tense (any future tense) in the
result clause . Imperative verb forms are also possible in
the result clause .
If the sun is shining tomorrow , he will have already gone
to the beach by the time we get to his house .

Tell me if you see anything strange .

Real future conditions can also be formed with the modal
should . This conveys the impression that the action in the
if clause is a little less likely ( though still far more likely
than it would be if the unreal present or future were used ).
It is also fairly formal .

If I see her , I will tell her . ( It is likely that I will see her . )
If I should see her , I will tell her. (It is a little less likely
that I will see her . )

Note that the modal will is almost never used in an if clause .

We use unreal conditions when the idea expressed in the if clause
is impossible or unlikely .

The unreal / future condition is one in which the action is

impossible or highly doubtful in the opinion of the speaker .

If I called the president , he probably wouldn't’t speak to me .

If the United States won the next World Cup Games , the
entire world be shocked .
 The time reference in this type if conditional is either to a
repeated, habitual event in the school or to a specific point in
the future :

If I called the resident, he probably wouldn't’t speak to

me.
Note that the verb in the if clause is identical in form of past
and the verb form in the result clause begins with the modal
would plus the simple form of the main verb. In reality, either
the simple past or the past progressive could be used in the if
clause. And would, could, or might could be used in the result
clause.
If + simple past/past
progressive,subject+would/might/could+simple word
form of the verb
If the United States won the next World Cup Games,the entire
world would be shocked.
If they were playing instead of sleeping ,their mother might
be very angry.

A past tense verb in an If clause refers to the unreal

present and not the past.

Progressive forms are possible in the result clause:

If their mother were working ,the children would probably be
playing.
*Pay attention to the verb be . In the unreal present/future
condition, it always appears in the form were in the if clause.

Formal:If he were here,I would tell him exactly how I

feel.

Formal:I would sell my house right now if it were valued

at $50000.

Informal:If I was rich,I would buy a new car.

 
 Were+infinitive can replace an unreal present verb:
If I were to call the president,he probably wouldn’t speak
to me.
Unreal Past Conditional Sentences
An unreal past conditional is one in which the situation did not
occur in the past .In such sentence, the speaker is imagining
the past as different form way it happened. The speaker is
talking about “the way things could have been” under a
different set of condition.

If there had been more time, we would have finished the

project.

Lisa would never have seen South America if she hadn’t

met that young man from Bolivia.
 
In the unreal past, the verb in the if clause is identical in form
to the past perfect(or past perfect progressive) and the verb in
the result clause contains the modal would, might, or could
plus the perfect auxiliary have plus the past participle of the
main verb.
If +past perfect or past perfect progressive,
subject+would/might/could+HAVE+past participle 
If she hadn’t been dancing, she would never have
broken her leg. 
If we had seen you at the party, we might have stayed
longer.
Like the unreal present, the result clause may contain a
progressive form:
If I had taken that job that paid so little, I would have been
watching every penny I spent.
It is possible to mix certain conditions. It is quite common, to
mix an unreal past if clause and an unreal present result clause.

If you had been born in Japan, you would speak Japanese.

If I hadn’t gotten into that car accident last week, I would be

swimming in the Caribbean right now.
 
Sometimes the word if can be omitted form a condition
sentence. If can be omitted:
In an unreal past condition
In an unreal present condition if the main verb or auxiliary
verb is
0 (were)
In a real future condition that contains the modal should
If the word if is omitted, the subject and the auxiliary are
reversed, and the sentence begins with a verb. The omitted
form appears more in writing than in speech and is considered
to be rather formal.

If he had called me, I would not have been so angry.

Had he called me, I would not have been so angry.

If it were sunny today,I would gladly volunteer to go to the
rally.
Were it sunny today,I would gladly volunteer to go the
rally.

If you should need help,don’t hesitate to call.

Should you need help,don’t hesitate to call
If the word if is omitted from a clause in the
negative,the word not is separated from the auxiliary
and placed before the main verb.In this case,it cannot be
contracted.In each of the below pairs,the second
examples are also considered formal and are rarely
spoken.
  If she hadn’t called me,I would never have heard the
news.
Had she not called me, I would never have head the news.
 
If it weren’t such a long drive,I would have gone.
Were it not such a long drive,I would have gone.