Conditional Sentences

Conditional Sentences

start

IES Ricardo Mella

TeleEnglish

Index

What are conditional sentences?

IF condition -> result

If it rains tomorrow, I won't go to the beach

If = siUnless = if not = A no ser que, a menos que As long as / So long as = Siempre y cuando Provided that / Providing that = A condición de que

part 1

Real Conditions

Zero Conditional

If you heat ice, it melts

When we talk about universal truths, habits, facts or laws, we use the Zero Conditional:

If you add the squares of the legs, you get the square of the hypotenuse of a triangle

Always true

only ONE possible result

If / UNLESS + Present simple → Present simple

When you press the button, the doorbell rings. If you heat ice, it melts. If ice melts, it becomes water. If you put some Mentos in a glass of Coke, you get an explosion! If you mix red and blue, you get purple. If public transport is efficient, people stop using their cars. Unless I am late for work, I always catch the train. I walk to school everyday unless it rains. If you fly with budget airlines, the drinks are expensive.

Mentos & Coke

First Conditional

If it rains, I won't go to the park

When we talk about the future and the result of a real, plausible condition, we use the First Conditional:

If you don't pass the exam, I'll be sad

Real conditions

Future

If / UNLESS + Present simple → will + infinitive

If you study hard, you'll pass your exams. I'll be happy if she comes to my party. I won't open the door unless I find the key. I won't open the door if I don't find the key. If I pass English, I'll throw a party! If you see Mary, will you tell her?

Variants

Can / May / Might

You can/may leave the classroom if you finish your test. You can go to the party as long as you're back home by midnight. If it's sunny, I might go the beach tomorrow.

Imperative

If you finish your homework, clean your bedroom. If the food is cold, put it in the microwave.

Zero & First Conditional Game:

part 2

Unreal Conditions

Second Conditional

If I lived in Russia, I would speak Russian

When we talk about a condition which is impossible or improbable, we use the Second Conditional:

If I met Brad Pitt, I would marry him

not Real conditions

Hypothesis

If / UNLESS + past simple → would + infinitive

If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. If I knew his name, I would tell you.If I didn't have a headache, I would go to the party.If I became President, I would reduce the salaries of all politicians. I would be happy if I had more free time.There would be fewer accidents if everyone drove more carefully.We would have a lot of money if we sold our house.Where would you go if you could fly?Would you accept the job if they offered it to you?

Watch out!

In these sentences, the past of TO BE is always WERE

If I were you, I would talk to her. If she were my sister, I wouldn't let her do that. If he were taller, he'd be accepted into the team. If I were a dog, I would chase cats all day!

Variants

Could

If he trained every day, he could represent his countryIf I had a little more money, I could buy a car.

Might (probability)

If I won the lottery, I might give all the money to charity. If I didn't work, it might be quite boring.

Third Conditional

If I had seen you, I would have said hello

When we talk about a condition which is impossible because it refers to something past, we use the Third Conditional:

If we had taken a taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane

unrealistic

Hypothesis in the past

If / UNLESS + past perfect→ would have + participle

If you had been more careful, you wouldn't have had an accident. I would have taken a photo if I had brought my camera with me. He would have died if the ambulance hadn't arrived quickly. He wouldn't have become lost if he had taken the map with him. If I had known, I wouldn't have told him.

Quiz

Ready to test your knowledge?

START

Quiz

Pregunta 1

If you heat ice,

it's melting

it melts

it will melt

Right!

NEXT

Quiz

Pregunta 2

I won't go to the party unless she

will invite me

doesn't invite me

invites me

Right!

NEXT

Quiz

Pregunta 3

If I were you,

I'd open the door

I'll open the door

I open the door

Right!

NEXT

Quiz

Pregunta 4

I would have started early if

I'll know

I had known

I'd know

Right!

NEXT

Quiz

Pregunta 5

If you went to the party

you meet her

you will meet her

you would meet her

You have finished!

NEXT

Let's talk!

If it rains this evening, ___________If I’d been born a boy/ girl, _____________________________If I hadn’t got up at all this morning, ________________________If I didn’t do my homework, _____________________________If I had been born 100 years ago, _________________________If I studied more, ______________________________________If I got into fights at school, ______________________________If I had x-ray vision, __________________________________If I weren´t here. ______________________________________

Let's talk!

If the economy gets worse, _______________________________If I were an ant, _______________________________________If I were the most beautiful person in the world, _______________If someone nice tells me that they like me, __________________If I were president of this country, __________________________If I’d started English when I was younger, ___________________If I could fly, __________________________________________If I had four arms, ______________________________________If I’d been a child prodigy, ________________________________

Games

For more games, try this other presentation. Remember you can watch it full page!

Visit your virtual classroom to do some exercises

And don't forget to visit liveworksheets.com

Inés Montenegro - 2021